Lachance supporters step up bigtime as former mayor battles aggressive cancer

Doug Lachance in his hospital bed at Dana Farber in Boston, where he has been undergoing treatment for stage four Melanoma. (Courtesy/Facebook photo)

ROCHESTER - During last October's Candidates Night mayoral hopeful Doug Lachance told Rochester voters that if elected mayor nothing would come between him and his official duties unless his skin cancer took a turn for the worse.

Sadly, earlier this month it did.

The former Rochester mayor, business owner and Realtor is currently in and out of a Boston hospital fighting for his life with stage four Melanoma, an aggressive cancer that spread to other parts of his body, according to an online fund-raising page.

"Right now he is resting and gaining strength for his next treatment on April 23," organizer Debbie Brooks said in an email to The Rochester Voice and on the fund-raising page on Monday.

Brooks, Lachance's sister, said after spending a few days at home Lachance will be back in the hospital on Wednesday to have fluid drained from his lungs and stomach.

Over the weekend friends and supporters organized a cleanup at Lachance's Rochester farm to help with spring cleaning.

Lachance, who was too weak due to treatments to come out of the house and greet supporters, took to Facebook on Sunday to express his gratitude.

"Thank you to all who came out yesterday! My yard has never looked so good," he wrote on his Facebook page. "Wished I could have joined you outside, was humbled as I watched from the window the labor of love."

Lachance, who owns his own business, Stump City Cider, was Rochester's mayor from 1997 to 2001.

The YouCaring.com page can be viewed and donations made at https://www.youcaring.com/douglasalbertlachance-1160822/update/881068?fb_action_ids=10211818345716612&fb_action_types=youcaringcom%3Apost.

As of today some 50 donations had been made for a total of $4,410, and the page had been shared 370 times.