Meet Handsome Lucas! 

Our very first male to participate in our Beautiful YOU event! This man was soooooo easy going! He was up for anything! Just said "Tell me where to stand and what to do and who to pose!" Lucas is such a strong person who has overcome many hardships! I LOVE his outlook on life and his positivity! I am so glad he has found friendships and support through Singleton Moms since he does not know many people out here! Please scroll down to read his inspiring BIO! 

My name is Lucas Rainville and I am 37.  I am retired Firefighter Paramedic.  I have 2 sons.  My oldest is 18 and in college in South Carolina and my youngest who is 5 lives with me here in Scottsdale, AZ.  I was originally diagnosed with stage 3A Colorectal Cancer in December 2010.  My youngest was not quite 3 months old.  My oldest son was living with myself and my spouse at the time. I went through the standard protocol which included Chemo/radiation/surgery and was deemed cancer free after a battle that included multiple surgeries and a leak at my surgical site that caused a temporary ileostomy.  I did return to work full time as a firefighter Paramedic and worked 9 months before my cancer had returned in 2012.  The cancer had returned and now was in my liver.  The progression of the type of cancer I have starts in your colon and spreads to liver,  lungs and then to your peritoneal cavity.   I once again went through the protocols for my cancer. With some life adjustments at this point it has now brought me to being a single parent with my 3 year old son.  My older son had decided to live with his birth mother.   At this point I was forced to retire from firefighting.  My brothers and sisters in the fire service were extremely helpful during my whole battle with cancer.  They even donated enough time to me so I could medically retire with a full pension.  They raised money to help cover medical and life cost.  They also donated tons of personal time and support to my family and myself.   I would not be here today without their help.  After my retirement I felt a little lost.  I opened a small retail shop and did various things to occupy myself.  During this time I continued to have medical issues from all the surgeries which included to bouts of sepsis.   

In the winter of 2014 my cancer returned to my lungs this time.  I was ready for a change and looked to some clinical trials that were available and for a new set of eyes to look at my medical issues.  I decided to move to the Phoenix area because of all the cancer research hospitals in the area and the bounty of trials available.  I moved out here with my son and a friend Dave.  He was a young guy that was going through some life changes of his own.  He was and is extremely helpful to me and my son.  He has found a very comfortable life here along with meeting his girlfriend here.  So here I am in Scottsdale, AZ with no known family in the area and no other friends to speak of as well.  I had no real connections out here.  I had spoken with some of the local firefighters in the area and also talked to some of the people at the Virginia Piper Cancer Research center to find childcare and all the other things you need to know to find my way here.  I was lucky enough to fall into the right place to live.  It is less than 10 miles from my hospital and other cancer hospitals in the area.  3 weeks upon arriving here I was having severe stomach pain and the result was a perforated bowel.  I had emergency surgery and was unable to start treatments for a couple months.   During this time I was able to finally start gaining weight.  I was 106 lbs when I moved here and was extremely thin.   The emergency surgery almost did me in but I am a fighter and wasn’t ready to relinquish this life yet.    

I was introduced to the Singleton Moms organization last summer.  They have been wonderful.  It was like having 12 sisters keeping up with me and helping with various things throughout my treatment.  One of the most beneficial things has been the emotional support they provide.  Being able to talk with someone who has gone or is going through the struggle of being a single parent with the added stress of being a cancer patient has been immeasurable.  In August of 2015 I started a clinical trial.  With no change in my cancer I moved on to another treatment.  Currently I am in week 22 of my treatment.  My scans are showing my cancer shrinking and I have been able to maintain my health with some minor side effects from the chemotherapy.    As long as this is I could fill a small novel up with all the spaces and stories in between.  My son is happy and I am happy to be here and living life.