Westborough Community Comes Together to Support Local Man's Fight Against Cancer

There was barely a parking spot in the lot at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Westborough on the night of the fundraiser last week supporting local resident Tom McDonald.

Tom was diagnosed with cancer in October, and after having taken his first rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, McDonald found himself unable to work. Gearing up for a new, highly recommended treatment in February with promising results, Tom and his wife Eileen were left hopeful struggling with large medical bills. That’s when local friends stepped in to help.

After arranging for food, raffle prizes, and a full band that had donated their time to the event, the event was only missing one thing: a crowd. Yet sure enough, by the time the clock struck 7, there was barely room to move in the hall. "We did not expect this many people to show up,” said Mary Grace Wood, a friend of the McDonald’s who helped to organize the event. Wood says that after pre-selling nearly 200 tickets, they started to get the feeling that they were surrounded by a community eager to help one of their own.

“We are incredibly grateful. We have a million friends that love us, and we love them,” said Eileen McDonald of the support they received.