Fairhaven Family of 9 Looking to Rebound After Freak Accident [HOLIDAY WISH]

Holiday Wish returns to Fun 107 for the ninth year as we team up with the United Way of Greater New Bedford to help local families in need.

The families selected are dealing with incredibly tough times, and through Holiday Wish Week, we hope to come to their aid and provide a brighter holiday to jumpstart a better year ahead.

Our second family of the week comes from Fairhaven, where a family is doing their best to stay afloat after several health scares.

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The Chagnon Family Story

AnneMarie and Dan Chagnon of Fairhaven are the proud parents of seven children. A few days before Christmas last year, Dan fell into a manhole while walking the dog and suffered from serious injuries. If it weren’t for the dog alerting the neighborhood that something was wrong, Dan may not be with us today.

AnneMarie has experienced her own set of challenges lately, from Heart surgery and spleen aneurysm surgery to the removal of an 18-inch kidney stone.

But the most devastating moment was her stroke in 2019.

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“It’s one of those things that infiltrates everything,” she said. “You really take for granted the things you can just do. You don’t think about putting your pants on in the morning, you don’t think about tying your shoes.”

The Chagnons have been busy nursing each other back to health, while also raising five young children, with two others overseas serving the country.

28-year-old Tyler is in the Army and 25-year-old AJ is in the Airforce. 19-year-old Samuel is on the autism spectrum and 16-year-old Nate attends Bristol Aggie and deals with a sleep disorder. Then, 12-year-old Grace, 10-year-old Evangeline, and 8-year-old Annabelle keep mom and dad busy.

While the Chagnons remain positive and humble, finances are incredibly tight and their plate is more than full.

“We just can’t seem to get ahead,” she said. “We’re really lucky that we have such great kids and my husband and I are strong together.”

How to Help

The Chagnons are living paycheck to paycheck. Help with bills and groceries would allow this family to breathe a little easier.

As for the kids, they are growing like weeds and need new clothes. 16-year-old Nate hopes to get his license as soon as possible, but the family can’t afford it. Annabelle loves anything to do with outer space, Evangeline is a bookworm who reads at a college level, and Grace is a little fashionista.

These children have never had more than 3 gifts on Christmas. Let’s change that this year.

Text to Donate to Holiday Wish

Text WISHES23 to 26989. You will be sent a United Way e-link that allows you to make a donation via credit card to this family when you select the day and date of which family you wish to help from the drop-down menu.

Donate By Check to Holiday Wish

Make checks payable to the United Way of Greater New Bedford and in the memo line, write HOLIDAY WISH and the day and date of the family you wish to help. Checks can be mailed to United Way of Greater New Bedford, 128 Union St., Suite 105, New Bedford, MA, 02740.

Donate by Credit Card to Holiday Wish

You can make a secure donation to the United Way via credit card here. Select the day and date of the family you wish to help from the "Please Select a Family" drop-down menu.

All of our families are pre-selected through United Way of Greater New Bedford. If you are in need of assistance, please contact United Way directly.