Who: Clarks Summit resident Becki Fellion is known among loved ones as a laid-back person with a constant smile. The mother and grandmother enjoys singing karaoke, shooting pool and spending time with family and friends, which also include her mother, brother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Since being diagnosed with Stage 3 small cell lung cancer, however, Fellion has been unable to work as she has endured chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She also faces at least a year of immunotherapy.
When/where: The group Friends of Becki and Finnegan’s IRC have organized Fight for Becki, a benefit set for Sunday, March 29, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Finnegan’s, 514 Ash St., Scranton. Admission costs $10. The event will include food, live entertainment, raffles, a 50/50 and a basket of cheer. To donate raffle items, visit Finnegan’s during regular business hours. The venue also will accept food donations the day of the event. To donate money, visit any NBT Bank branch and give to the account “Susan Coccodrilli.”
Why: Fellion cannot work because of her illness and also is helping care for her mother. The medications and treatments Fellion receives make daily tasks difficult, but friends say she refuses to let the illness rule her life.
In her own words: “Donations would mean that Becki does not have to worry about expenses and bills and can focus on fighting her illness. Support from family, friends and her community is what will give her the will to fight, because friends don’t let friends fight cancer alone.” — Dawn Locker
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest
