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Reminder Assistant Editor AGAWAM Gail Jagodowski believes that as a mother of four it is her obligation to ensure that her children maintain their youthful innocence for as long as possible. Like any mother, she did not have the divine power to shield her eldest daughter Alexandra from illness. On Sept. 16, 12-year-old Alexandra "Lexi" Jagodowski died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia while undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital Boston. To honor Lexi's life and to help raise funds for her medical bills, members of her church, St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and the Agawam United Methodist Church (AUMC) where her father Richard has been an organist for 16 years will be hosting a spaghetti supper on Oct. 11. "The only thing that I can say is that having the community come together all for the love of one child seems to be the only reason for God taking her from us the way he did," Gail said. "That's the only thing that makes sense to me." Lexi was originally diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of seven and underwent two years of chemotherapy. Earlier this year, at the age of 11, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. She would have been a sixth grader at Agawam Middle School this academic year. Richard and Gail said the support for the fundraiser has spanned far beyond the Christian faith and reached many Agawam residents. "This [benefit dinner] has absolutely mushroomed and the outpouring of support has been absolutely remarkable," Carol Twining, Programming Committee member for the AUMC, said. She added that many people have volunteered to help with the event and several businesses have donated food for the supper. "I can't say enough about Rick and his family," Mark Mickey, Programming Committee member for the AUMC, said. "Even though the family belongs to St. John Parish, they're family is like our family. This is just a small thing that we can do for them. "We were all pretty shocked with the second diagnosis," he continued. "We really believed that God was going to heal her again." Gail explained that she has been taking life one day at a time since Lexi's passing, ensuring that she meets the day-to-day needs of her other children, eight-year-old Richard, seven-year-old Christina and five-year old Joseph. "It's hardest when I drop them off at school and my husband leaves to go to work and I'm alone. I have too much time to think," Gail said. Richard explained that his children have been able to accept life without Lexi far easier than he or his wife. "The other children adapted really well because they know their older sister is living with Jesus," he said. "They see life through the eyes of a child and because of that even Lexi and her siblings have a good faith and don't question as adults do. We need to have that blind child's faith. I've gotten my strength from Lexi and her faith." The Memorial Benefit Spaghetti Supper will take place at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church located at 833 Main St. The first seating will be at 5:15 p.m. and the second will take place at 7 p.m. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years old. The benefit will also include a bone marrow donor drive, live music, a balloon artist and a silent auction. Members of AUMC or the public can contact Mark or Pauline Mickey at 786-7991 or Twining at 589-0278 for tickets or reservations. Members of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church can call Mary Scanell at 786-8105. | ||||||
