In The News

PATCO’s "Pink Key Project" Helps Open The Door To A Cure

Sanford, Maine – When PATCO Office Manager, Doris Gaumont, first learned that her eldest daughter, Jenny, had breast cancer, her first reaction was to blame herself. "I wondered what had I done to cause this," she shared. "We’re a very health conscious family, very fit. When the girls were little I even made my own baby food." Although intellectually she knew better, emotionally, there had to be someone or something to blame.

Jenny first noticed the pea-sized lump in her breast during a self-exam. A mammogram and needle biopsy confirmed her fears - it was cancer. A $3,000 blood test, not covered by insurance, was necessary to identify the type of cancer Jenny had and to determine the best way to treat it. The cancer that had invaded Jenny’s breast tissue was the type that would double in size with every passing month. Thus began a long battle for the Gaumont's that continues to this day. Until a family member is stricken with breast cancer, it's hard to imagine the difficulties that both they, and their families, go through. "No matter how many articles you read or how many cancer websites you visit, you're never really prepared," says Doris. Months of traveling from Hollis to Portland every other day for chemotherapy followed Jenny's diagnosis. Soon, it was determined that drug therapy and tissue removal wasn’t aggressive enough to eradicate her cancer. Jenny’s physician recommended a total mastectomy. "You can just imagine how devastating this was," continues Doris. "At 38, she's such a young woman. There’s this perception that breast cancer is an older women's disease. It's not." Nearly a year later, although her hair is beginning to grow back and her good days often outnumber her bad, Jenny continues her fight. She won’t be considered cured until five years of negative blood tests have come and gone.

PATCO Construction is a family owned and operated Maine business. "Like many families, our extended corporate family has experienced both the triumph and the tragedy that is breast cancer," says Owner, Mark Patterson. "For over 25 years, PATCO has built its reputation on quality, dependability, integrity - and on doing the right thing. Finding a cure for breast cancer is everyone’s responsibility. The Pink Key Project is how PATCO, as a business leader, can help make a difference." For every building (residential or commercial) under contract in 2008, PATCO will contribute $500 to The Maine Breast Cancer Coalition's Support Service Fund. This fund provides underserved residents of Maine with financial assistance for breast health or breast cancer related services. Among the wide range of items and services provided are mammograms, bras, prostheses, biopsy costs, wigs, prescriptions and transportation costs. These things are often not covered by insurance. "The financial toll that cancer takes only compounds the physical and emotional one," says Patterson, "By earmarking these funds specifically for The Support Fund, we’re helping women right here in Maine who might not otherwise have access to these important services."

According to Christine Haiss, Vice President of The Maine Breast Cancer Coalition, “Since we established the Fund in 2000, we have helped nearly 900 Maine people who had nowhere else to turn for assistance. In 2007 we awarded grants totaling more than $74,000 to 145 Maine residents and expect to assist at least as many people this year." With so many Maine residents struggling to meet daily expenses, the need for the Support Service Fund is great. "A diagnosis of breast cancer is a life-altering event," Haiss emphasized. "When it’s accompanied by financial difficulties it's a crisis for the patient and for their family. We are so grateful that PATCO has selected our Support Service Fund for the Pink Key Project."

For more information on "The Pink Key Project" please call PATCO at (207) 324- 5574. To learn more about The Maine Breast Cancer Coalition, visit their website www.mainebreastcancer.org.

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PATCO donates funds to Literacy Volunteers

Patco Construction Corporation donated $2,200 worth of materials, labor and subcontracting services for Literacy Volunteers Greater Sanford (LVGS) office renovations. The renovations include a new doorway to the computer lab in the back and a private office for new student intake and assessment.

"The renovations are a big improvement to teh space," said Geoff Titherington, LVGS Board President. "Now the computer lab and tutoring stations in teh back room are more easily accessible. Students also have a confidential area to discuss their personal learning goals with the director, Amy Safford." The office is located at the Townhouse Mall on Main Street in Sanford.

Patco is a family-owned business founded more than 23 years ago in Sanford. "At Patco Construction we understand how important a comfortable and efficient working space is to the productivity of any organization," said company President Greg Patterson. "LVGS is a vital community resource and one that we're very proud to support."

LVGS provides adults with free, confidential tutoring and small group instruction in reading, math, writing, computers and other life skills. More than 60 volunteers are professionally trained tutors who meet with students weekly.