A walk to remember

By ELISE FRANCO

Breast cancer victim from Valley inspires others to join the battle

1In fact, many people never knew she had cancer until after her death.

Kristy Taaffe, 30, of Boardman, said Mary Ann, whom she’d met only a handful of times, never spoke of her illness and didn’t want pity from anyone. She didn’t know it then, but meeting Mary Ann in Lariccia’s Italian Market Place two years ago would leave a lasting impression.

“The brief time I knew her was very close to the end of her life,” Taaffe said. “I never knew she had cancer until afterward.”

Mary Ann, who was from Youngstown, was diagnosed with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer in February 2003. Doctors gave her six months to live — a standard amount of time for someone with such a progressive type of cancer.

Her son, Michael Allegretto, said she lived for almost four years after her diagnosis, but that’s just the kind of person she was.

“She battled strong — you would never know by seeing her that she was battling as hard as she was,” he said. “She never let the cancer run her life. She ran her own life with the cancer.”

Always involved in fundraisers and charity events with her family, Taaffe said she wanted to find a way to remember Mary Ann. That was when Taaffe, along with her mother, Janet Bartell, and her sister Kelly Procaccini, decided to participate in the Breast Cancer Three-Day Walk in Cleveland.

“We’re fortunate that breast cancer has not hit our family,” she said. “We are doing this in memory of this wonderful woman, but also for the future of our daughters.”

The 60-mile walk, which takes place throughout the summer in 14 cities across the country, sets up shop in Cleveland from Aug. 22-24. To participate, each walker must raise $2,200.

To meet their total goal of $6,600, Taaffe, Bartell, 51, of Boardman, and Procaccini, 31, of Haymaker, Va., have had a bake sale, garage sale and car wash. Bartell also makes angel pins out of wire, donned with the pink breast cancer bow, and sells them at Lariccia’s Market in Boardman.

So far the women have raised $3,800, and with almost two months to go until the event, show no signs of stopping.

On Saturday they are having a car wash in Mary Ann’s name at Lariccia’s, owned by Michael and his wife, Tessa.

“I’m going big on this one. I think we can hit $2,000,” Bartell said. “This family’s whole life is about giving and making people happy. It rubs off, and now we want to do something to give back.”

Taaffe said on the final day of the walk, friends and family of participants are invited to show their support by attending closing ceremonies.

All of Mary Ann’s family plans to be there at the finish line to show appreciation for Taaffe, Bartell, Procaccini and the rest of the walkers.

Michael said it was hard to grasp when he first found out what Taaffe and her family are doing.

“Of all of the gifts that we have gotten, this means as much, if not more,” he said. “For someone who had only met her once or twice to do something like this for us and her, means an awful lot.”

Taaffe remains modest, however, describing Mary Ann, nicknamed “Jake” after her maiden name Jacobs, as a kind, generous, remarkable woman.

“I just want everyone to know how wonderful she was,” she said.

Michael said she was the type of person who hated fuss and attention.

“My mother would be overwhelmed if she knew what they were doing,” he said. “She probably wouldn’t believe that someone would do something like this for her, but she would certainly be more than honored.”

A lifelong sports fan, Michael said his mother loved nothing more than watching a Browns or Indians game, and she relished in the time she spent with her family.

“My daughter is a cheerleader at Mooney, and one week prior to her death, my mom was determined to go to this rally they had,” he said. “My father told me later on that she couldn’t get out of bed that morning, but she got dressed and made it there.”

This type of behavior was not uncommon for Mary Ann, said her daughter Pam Allegretto.

“She would drop anything to help anybody... she was the one who liked to do, and she never wanted to put anyone out,” she said. “I was lucky enough to have her as my mom.”

Michael said ever since he can remember, both of his parents worked long hours. Mary Ann worked for 35 years at Mahoning Bank in Youngstown, but never once said she was too busy or too tired when her son wanted to toss the football around in the backyard.

“Even though she worked, she’d come home and make time to be with me, and she taught me many lessons,” he said. “I wanted to quit the football team in the middle of the season. She told me, ‘If you want to quit, you have to finish the season. You finish what you started.’

“We try to be like her, try to be genuinely nice, and it’s hard, but that’s the way we’re all supposed to be.”

efranco@vindy.com