1. Buying books before classes start, getting groceries,
assembling school supplies . . . these are the things that
most college students worry about on their move-in day
to begin the school semester again after a long, relaxing
summer.
Unfortunately, these “worries” suddenly took a back
seat for VJC junior Nicole Dover after she learned of her
breast cancer diagnosis the day she moved back into the
dorms to begin in August 2006.
With no family history or prior medical history of
breast cancer, and being only 20 years old, Nicole was
completely surprised by the devastating news, and along
with her family, she knew that no matter what the out-
come would be at the end of this chapter in her life, the
experience would change her forever.
Change her, it did. Nicole was a valued leader on
VJC’s dance team, a full-time student averaging 16 credits
a semester, and a part-time waitress at Red Brick Station.
Even after her treatment began, no one would have been
able to tell that she was fighting breast cancer every day.
Her doctors strongly advised Nicole against staying in
the dorms and continuing with her schooling during her
fight for survival. However, she decided to keep the col-
lege dormitory as her temporary residence and continue
to pursue her degree with a 12-credit course load that fall,
despite the break her physicians advised.
Nicole explains, “I feel like everything happens for a
reason. If I had not decided to go to college at Villa Julie,
I would not have been able to stay at the dorms through
my treatment, still go to treatment everyday, continue
pursuing my degree and see my family on a regular basis.
If I had gone to school anywhere else, the distance would
have made it impossible to fight breast cancer and still
pursue my degree.”
Surgeries, doctors’ warnings, and chemotherapy tried
to keep her from dancing, and treatment left her in a tired,
often immobile, state. Still, with the support of her room-
mates, fellow dance team friends, her Red Brick Station
family and so many others, Nicole fought to maintain
normalcy in her life, and continued to dance with the Villa
Julie dance team through-
out their entire season.
The dance team par-
ticipated in a walk for
breast cancer benefit as
“Dover’s Dancers” to sup-
port Nicole’s fight against
the disease. Nicole admits,
“I truly have the support of
the dance team, my room-
mates, and my family to
thank for helping me
through everything.”
Red Brick Station,
the White Marsh Boulevard restaurant and pub, also pro-
vided tremendous financial help to Nicole and her family
by throwing a Halloween benefit dinner and costume
contest in October. Thousands of dollars from donations
and a percentage of the restaurant’s profit from the night
were raised and forwarded directly to Nicole to assist with
miscellaneous needs she had and the medical costs that
she would have to face.
Throughout her chemotherapy, Nicole lost more and
more hair, until in a frustrated but determined mood she
decided to shave her head. After months of wearing ban-
danas, hats, and wigs, Nicole’s hair began to grow back
when her chemotherapy sessions ended. In May 2007,
Nicole finished chemotherapy and radiation treatment,
and was pronounced cured.
After the long and challenging fight against breast
cancer, she finally had won. Nicole was not alone while
she was fighting breast cancer, and she was not alone
when she beat it. Her friends and family alike rejoiced in
her fortune and celebrated with her.
Since her treatments ended, Nicole has maintained a
breakneck pace in school and she is still a member of the
VJC dance team. She has returned to work at Red Brick
Station and is now an activist for the American Cancer
Society. She is currently promoting their “Making Strides
against Breast Cancer” walk scheduled for Baltimore city
in October.
Her fight against the disease changed her outlook on
life. Nicole explains, “I feel closer to God now than I ever
was before. I feel like I am living for a different reason
now, and I value my life.”
The Belanger-
Federico Found-
ation is a non-
profit organization
dedicated to rais-
ing money for chil-
dren with cancer.
Located in Balti-
more, the founda-
tion has recently
started to reach
families all across
the nation. But
there may be
something else that draws the attention of Villa Julie
students and staff: one of the founders of the organi-
zation is VJC alumni Chris Federico.
In 2004, Rob Belanger and Federico joined
together to begin the foundation in memory of their
parents. Rob’s father, Mark Belanger, an eight-time
Gold Glove award-winning shortstop for the
Baltimore Orioles, died of lung cancer at the youthful
age of 54. Chris’s mother, Susannah Federico, lost her
battle to leukemia in 1995 at age 66. Both men chan-
neled their grief into the hard work of philanthropy,
and thus the Belanger-Federico Foundation was born.
The foundation has relied on several very effec-
tive methods to achieve its goals, particularly through
the Cool Kids Campaign and the Baltimore Celebrity
Golf Classic.
The Cool Kids Campaign is one of the founda-
tion’s most celebrated missions. Its purpose is to pro-
vide a higher quality of life for pediatric oncology
patients and their families while facing the challenges
of cancer. The Campaign organizes entertaining
events for children and will do anything to put a smile
on their faces, allowing families to connect with each
other in time if extreme stress.
Included in the Campaign is a one-of-a-kind
newsletter, The Cool Kids Connection, that is sent to
the 200 hospitals throughout the nation that care for
pediatric oncology patients. It’s the only newsletter in
the nation that is written by the children and their
families as a way for families to share their experi-
ences.
Director of Programs and Development Sharon
Perfetti explains, “The focus of the Cool Kids
Campaign is to always remember that even though
these kids are sick, they are still regular kids and still
want to do the same things that other kids want to do.
We try to always keep this in mind when we plan our
programs and activities for the kids.”
Fortunately, world champion figure skater
Kimmie Meissner has joined the Cool Kids Campaign
as an ambassador. Meissner spends much of her time
with children who are struggling with cancer, and an
August 25 benefit performance, “Kimmie’s Angels on
Ice,” featured the world-renowned athlete and others
who skated to raise funds for the Cool Kids
Campaign.
The foundation also recently hosted the
Baltimore Celebrity Golf Classic. This event benefit-
ted the Cool Kids Campaign as well as the Sidney
Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns
Hopkins.
Many local and national celebrities in sports,
entertainment, fashion and politics participated in the
event held at Hillendale Country Club to help raise
awareness of cancer and lung cancer research. Some
of the celebrities included Brooks Robinson, Salvatore
Ferragamo, Jim McMahon, B.J. Surhoff, Tommy
Maddox, John Ashton, Gorman Thomas, and Robert
Ehrlich.
The Belanger-Federico Foundation is a unique
non-profit organization that is devoted to helping sick
children. Its high-profile board of directors makes it
one of the most respected and effective fundraising
organizations in Maryland. Those who are interested
in joining forces with the foundation can go to
www.bfpf.org.
FEATURESThe Villager, September 26, 2007 77
By Bridget Forney
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Beauty overcomes the beast: one student’s victory Baltimore foundation helps
children cope with cancer
by Daniel Petty
Special to The Villager
Chris Federico
Nicole Dover
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