Stadium party will celebrate a woman who loved life
By Paul R. Dubois
Valley Breeze Staff Writer
WOONSOCKET – Their angel has departed, but that won't stop family and friends of Tina Tessier from honoring her last request of celebrating her life with the "kick butt" party.
Ravaged by an aggressive form of cancer, Therese E. "Tina" Tessier, died on March 17, St. Patrick's Day, 15 minutes after midnight. She was 48 years old.
"She was struggling for every breath for 14 hours, and I'm convinced that she held on until St. Patrick's Day because that's a party day," her sister and confidant, Sue Tessier, said "she loved people, loved parties and loved life. One of the things she said she wanted was a kick butt party to celebrate her life instead of everybody grieving and crying."
Grieving was unavoidable, and took place during the subsequent memorial service, but now the party is about to begin.
"Tina is going to get the celebration of her life that she asked for," said Steve Moreau, whose mother, Ruth, was Tina's co-worker at CVS.
"We've put together a show at the Stadium Theater that will be a fitting tribute to Tina," he said.
Featuring the musical talents of Greg Bonin, Jeff Gamache, Heidi Nirk, Noel Pincince, professional comedy by Charlie Hall and Tom Monti, and dancing of the Nelia Lawton Dancers, the event, benefiting the American Cancer Society, will be held May 17 at 7 pm. Tickets are $13 for orchestra, and $10 for balcony seats and are available only at the theater box office at Monument Square.
Moreau, who is a Valley Breeze sales representative, said Tina was just a special upbeat person, compelling him to organize the event that he considers a "win-win situation."
"We'll be celebrating the life of a special person, will provide a great show for everyone, even if they didn't know Tina and just want a night out, and all proceeds will benefit the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Cancer Society," Moreau said. "It's going to be very upbeat the way Tina wanted, with only one reference to her death just to explain why we're doing the show."
Growing up in the Rathbun Street area of Woonsocket, Tina and her entire family were heavily involved with the former St. Louis Parish CYO, so much so that they were named the parish's first CYO Family of the Year in the 1960s. She later was named the CYO Youth of the Year and remained active with CYO into her adult years. She was also heavily involved with the Arc of Northern Rhode Island, and was the recipient of the Eagle of the Cross Award from the Diocese of Providence.
Tina worked as a senior analyst at CVS corporate headquarters, where she was so popular among her peers that when she was diagnosed with cancer, they set up an "angel line," just to let her know that they were thinking of her. They secured a telephone beeper that Tina carried until her dying day. With a deeper jingle, she knew friends were thinking of her.
Friends and family members would dial in, with family members plugging in their ages so Tina would know who the call was coming from. Sue would plug in 1-4-3, representing "I love you."
The beeper constantly rang. During her third and last major operation, brain surgery, Sue and other family members held the beeper during the ordeal.
"Not once during the several hours that it took did any three minute period of time pass without that beeper going off," Sue said. "That's how much people loved Tina and wanted her to know that they were thinking of her."
It was in April of 2000 that Tina was initially diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types. To battle the disease, she had a double mastectomy, underwent chemotherapy and had in excess of 30 radiation treatments, which left her nauseated and weak.
But she refused to give up.
She took part in American Cancer Society fundraisers, recruiting family members and co-workers to assist her when she was confined to a wheelchair and had to be pushed a long walkathon routes. She was given the American Cancer Society Courage Award in last year's Relay for Life held in Woonsocket.
"I'm shamed by her faith and courage," her sister said. "Never once did she ever doubt that she would recover, never once did she give up and never once did she lose sight that for her, every day was a miracle."
After the double mastectomy, she appeared to improve, and was approaching the year anniversary date of being cancer free that would have signaled the beginning of recovery when she began to feel disoriented. In September 2002, her primary care physician, Dr. Linda DeLuca, ordered her to undergo an immediate MRI, and after receiving the result, sent her to Rhode Island Hospital immediately.
The MRI revealed what family and friends had feared most. The cancer had spread to Tina's brain.
"There was a golf ball sized lump that you could see, and it required brain surgery," Sue said.
The surgery affected Tina's memory capability, and she never fully recovered as the aggressive disease refused to relinquish its deadly grip and claimed her life. Even as the end neared, Tina was thinking of others.
"She told doctors at the Dana Farber Institute for Cancer that if there were any experimental treatments being considered that would help others in the future, that she would be willing to go through them, but they had to turn her down because her cancer had progressed too far," Sue Tessier said. "Even to the end, she wanted to help others."
©The Valley Breeze, April 10-17, 2003.