Why:
Jackie's Angels started 2 years after we lost such a domanite force in our lives. So many of us who knew her were forced to look at life differently. While watching Jackie go through her cancer journey it was made very apparent that there was not a lot of research and treatments for Metastatic Breast Cancer. It is very hard to watch someone you know go through cancer. I want to help make that experience a little bit easier by helping provide options.
Our Goal:
Our foundation will be used to help create acknowledgement and research for Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). Very little of the proceeds generated for breast cancer research are focused on MBC. We hope to change that and make MBC more of a primary focus. Our mission is to help bring awareness to the disease and while doing so help provide funds for research through Metavivor.
METAvivor is the only organization in the US that exclusively funds MBC research through a scientific peer-review process. We award research grants to individuals with a clinical or other doctoral degree who are actively engaged in areas of metastatic breast cancer research, and whose proposals show distinct promise in making a difference for the stage 4 breast cancer community. Their mission is to transition metastatic breast cancer from a terminal diagnosis to a chronic, manageable disease with a decent quality of life.
The Founder:
My name is Amanda Gouse. I was stripped of my best friend after 20 years together. We became instant best friends our freshman year of highschool and always thought we would grow old together. She was 34 when we lost her with a 13 year old and an almost 2 year old as well as a new marriage of 3 years. I am grateful for being able to know Jackie for as long as I have and being able to have experienced life with her. I also feel robbed by cancer, of the many years and memories we could have had together. Jackie was such an influence on my life that she will never not be a part of it. I wanted to continue her legacy and giving back attitude, which was my inspiration to create this foundation.
Jackie's daughter Aubrey helped me by creating the name of the foundation. Her cousin Ressie helped with providing content for the website. And my sister Nicole has helped with running the website and fundraisers.
About Jackie:
A West Chester resident, Jacqueline Angelucci, 34, was born on September 22, 1986.
Jackie loved her family more than anything else. The beautiful people in her life included her wonderfully funny and compassionate husband, Larry, Jackie’s “mini-me,” daughter Aubrey, and her sweet baby, Bryce, born on her birthday. During the pandemic, Jackie’s loving family lived every moment for each other, generating joy and creating new memories.
Just 6 weeks after Bryce was born, Jackie discovered a lump in her breast. After doctors’ visits and tests, they were given the news that no one ever wants to hear. Not only was the lump cancerous, but it was an aggressive form that quickly spread to her lymph nodes. She was determined to fight and do whatever was necessary to rid her body of this terrible disease, she got started on treatment immediately. Jackie went through several months of chemotherapy only to have the tumor return with a vengeance. This led to an emergency mastectomy and then further grueling treatments including radiation. Despite their efforts, the cancer had become Metastic and spread to her lungs and the diagnosis is terminal. Jackie earned her angel wings on April 7th, 2021.
Jackie loved to cheer on The Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and most of all, her beloved Philadelphia Eagles. She treasured her personalized Jon Dorenbos video, sent to inspire her in her courageous battle against breast cancer. She attended as many tailgates and games as she could. Home openers offered Jackie new hope each season. And the Birds winning the Super Bowl was her dream come true.
She loved to travel both inside and outside the United States. Even during her most difficult weeks, Jackie never stopped dreaming up and planning road trips. Her second home was Ocean City, New Jersey. She called it her “happy place” because it made her so incredibly happy through the years. This is where Jackie spent most of her summers with her grandparents while working many different jobs on the boardwalk at the shore.
She was an exceptional writer, armed with an uncanny wit, and you’d consider yourself lucky if you ever heard her deliver a speech.
Jackie’s most extraordinary gift was her ability to make the people she knew and the people she helped feel as though they were the most important persons in the room. Over the years, many people claimed her as their “best friend”, and she will forever be known as the one and only “Aunt girlfriend”. She possessed a talent for making people laugh and feel cherished. Her sense of humor, luminous smile, and laughter lit up many rooms and softened many hearts.
From a young age, she knew she wanted to help people. A double major in both Psychology and Spanish, she educated, counseled, and was loved by her many students. Social worker by trade, she cared for many families, particularly those with children in crisis. Jackie’s deep reservoir of love and compassion for young people and her concern for their safety and happiness is her lasting legacy to the lives she touched.
Keep watching over us Jacqueline, we love you!