Casi Hutchison (right), who is battling Stage 3 rectal cancer, poses with daughter Miley for a family photo.

LEWISTOWN — Being diagnosed with rectal cancer hasn’t been easy for Casi Hutchison, but the 43-year-old Lewistown woman has a solid support system to lean on.

She has her family, including a teenage daughter, parents, grandmother, brother and sister in-law and many close friends.

“People have really stepped up to help me out,” Casi said. “My family has been there, my friends, my neighbors and even my landlord.”

While the cancer diagnosis was certainly devastating, the economic impact has been just as traumatic because Casi, a certified nursing assistant at the William Penn Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lewistown, has been out of work since June 2024.

To help Casi and her family, the Milroy Lions Club will hold a spaghetti benefit dinner at the fellowship hall of the White Memorial Church, 68 S. Main St., Milroy, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 20.

The cost of the meal is a $10 donation per person. Children under age 12 eat free. This meal includes spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad, bread with butter, applesauce, various homemade desserts and soft drinks.

Casi’s battle began in December 2023 when she began having some health issues and a colonoscopy revealed a tumor on June 5, 2024.

She would have been considered Stage 2 but because seven of her lymph nodes were affected, she was classified as Stage 3.

Casi has been treated at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. “They are considered the number two cancer hospital in the U.S.,” Casi said. “One of my friends and his wife referred me to the hospital.”

She is also under the care of oncologists both in Mifflin County and New York. Medical experts remain optimistic about her changes for recovery.

“They said it’s curable but it could be a rough road ahead for a while,” Casi said. “I just had a follow-up with him (oncologist) on Tuesday. He did a scope and was very impressed with the way it looks. He said no surgery is needed because there is nothing there to remove.”

Casi will have a biopsy just to make sure the tissue is completely cancer-free. Radiation and chemotherapy proved to be an effective treatment, but they certainly took their toll on her.

Casi had radiation for 28 straight days and four cycles of chemotherapy over a four-week period.

She also suffered from some side effects from the treatment, including getting Neuropathy in both her fingers and toes.

Casi is hoping a clear biopsy in April will mean she can go back to work. “If it reveals cancer, I will have to have surgery,” explained Casi, who worked at William Penn for 14 years. “Right now, it’s just a waiting game.”

Casi’s mom, Brenda, and 13-year-old daughter, Miley, travel with her to New York for her hospital visits.

To help Casi through these tough times, she receives funding from the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund and her mom has organized fundraisers at Harshbarger’s Sub ‘N Malt in McVeytown as well as a calendar with discounts at area businesses.

“It pays for me to get back and forth to New York,” Casi said of the calendar fundraiser. “People have also sent me stuff in the mail.”

She also thanks friends for their support during these difficult times and even her landlord.

Casi isn’t sure what she would have done without her family and friends.

“I have a good support system,” she said. “I have a group of friends that surprised me by taking me to breakfast or lunch or they dropped off a cheer-up basket on the porch.”

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Casi has tried to return some normalcy to her life by taking her daughter and niece and nephew to and from school. Between trips, she also spends time visiting with her dad, Phil, who is having some health issues of his own.

In addition to the stress of her health issues, Casi lives in Juniata Terrace and her home was just across the street from the ones which burned in January.

Casi also tries to remain involved with her daughter’s activities, including attending softball games. During her treatment, Casi would go to games but distanced herself from other fans due to her low immune levels.

“I think it’s really important to support her, said Miley, an eighth-grade student at Mifflin County Junior High School. “I worry about her a lot, and I really try to pay attention to everything that’s going on.”

That includes helping out with more chores around the house, Miley added. “I try to help out around the house a lot.”