APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – There was a special delivery for cancer patients at St. Elizabeth Hospital on Monday afternoon, thanks to a woman who has made it her mission to pay it forward after her husband passed away from cancer.
Jacole Hall lost her husband Dominic to pancreatic cancer in 2022. Dominic was an Appleton police officer and a military veteran. He contracted the cancer from the chemicals from toxic burn pits he came in contact with during his service overseas.
Before Dominic passed away, he and Jacole created a nonprofit together called ‘Vaspire316.‘ Their goal is to help other families battling cancer with an emphasis on helping military families.
“Through our journey everybody was so kind and giving to us,” Jacole told Local 5 News. “We felt like we had to pay everybody back. So we decided to pay it forward.”
On Monday afternoon, Jacole’s charitable efforts helped cancer patients from all walks of life. She created seven ‘Portal Patch Fleece’s’ to help patients with their treatments.
The piece of clothing contains built in access to a patient’s ‘port’ on their skin which medical professionals use to administer chemotherapy and to draw blood. Jacole also designed it as a very warm piece of clothing.
She said the inspiration for the ‘Portal Patch Fleece’ came when she was helping her husband Dominic through his treatment. She noticed that it was hard to find clothing that provided easy access for treatments that could also keep him warm when he got cold.
“Having something like this to zip on and put on and have an opening for the port is going to make it so much easier for the nurses and then for me as well,” said Vicki Stanke who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Stanke was one of the current cancer patients at St. Elizabeth who received a ‘Portal Patch Fleece’ from Jacole on Monday afternoon. Jacole’s two children helped her pass out the gifts.
“I really just hope to bring hope, love and support, I’ve gone through this cancer journey twice with my mom and then my husband,” Jacole said. “So I’m very familiar with this cancer journey and what it can do to some families or what it can do to an individual.”
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“I think it helps patients feel seen, heard, and understood in a way that nobody else can do for them,” said Alexis Westberg, who is the nurse lead at St. Elizabeth Hospital Cancer Center. “Only someone who has been through cancer or had a loved one go through cancer can sympathize with where they’re at and what they’re doing.”
Jacole said this was her first time in this hospital since she was here with Dominic during his battle with cancer.
“It’s very emotional, I haven’t been through this hallway for almost three years I spent a lot of time sitting in this chair praying and crying,” she said. “So it was very emotional. I think he (her husband Dominic) would be really proud that I keep on moving forward, and on days that it’s hard to get up I still get up.”
