Acushnet Members Plan Heartwarming Event for Porter Guillemette

Last week, a 7-year-old Acushnet boy’s unexpected battle with a brain tumor made headlines as friends and families shared the story of Porter Guillemette.

After hearing about Porter’s struggle, Acushnet is organizing a fundraiser that will bring the town and the rest of the SouthCoast together to help one family get through an incredibly tough time.

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Porter’s Story

On Jan. 12, Taylor and Danielle Guillemette discovered that their son, Porter, has an aggressive brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The tumor is incredibly difficult to treat due to its location on the brain stem.

Taylor Guillemette has been a New Bedford Firefighter since 2011, and when his fellow firefighters learned about Porter’s condition, they immediately jumped in and started an online fundraiser to help with medical bills and anything else the family needed.

The online fundraiser has raised over $70,000.

Acushnet Steps In

Kelsey Janak is an Acushnet resident and administrator of a popular Facebook Group called All Things Acushnet.

When she heard about Porter, she and several others wanted to do something special.

“When the news of Porter’s diagnosis caught wind, it didn’t take long for the entire town to start asking what we can do to be that village Porter and his family deserve during this difficult journey,” she said.

A bunch of ideas were tossed around, and soon, a plan was formed to help the Guillemette family.

Pizza for Porter

Janak and other members of Acushnet are proud to host their Pizza for Porter event on Saturday, March 4, at the VFW Tuttle Post 7239 in Acushnet. The event will encourage the community to come together and show support for a little man enduring a very large battle.

An entry fee gets you all-you-can-eat pizza, access to raffle items, baked goods, live music by Fun 107's very own Gazelle and light refreshments. All proceeds will go directly to the Guillemette family.

How to Help

Janak and her team are actively looking for pizza places to donate pizza for the event. If you or know anyone that can help make this event even better, message All Things Acushnet or Kelsey Janak.

This family was dealt a tough hand to start off the new year, but with the love from their town and people in their community, Acushnet hopes to ease their burden.

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