New Lenox Mom Fighting Cancer Given 'A Great Day' With Lights Surprise

NEW LENOX, IL — Deanna Cagle was beginning to wonder when, exactly, her husband planned to hang the Christmas lights on their New Lenox home. Mike Cagle had other plans, though, and it was getting harder to keep them a secret from his wife of six years.

He finally had to tip her off to be ready for something Wednesday evening, as fire trucks and hundreds of volunteers would roll up their quiet street, a crew at the ready to deck their house for the holidays.

Cagle, a mom of two, is in her second fight against breast cancer in nearly 3 years, this time diagnosed as stage 4 metastatic, and the crew of firefighters from dozens of departments across the suburbs came as the Lights and Ladders Brigade and Project Fire Buddies to decorate her family's home. The volunteers cranked Christmas music and set to work.

"Very, very surprised," Cagle told Patch, of the night. "This is amazing. It's heartwarming, it feels good that all these people care. They're just here for me, and it's just amazing. Takes all my worries away."

Cagle has been embraced by nonprofit Project Fire Buddies, a volunteer-led effort by local fire departments to show support for children and families battling critical illness. Started in Oak Forest in 2016, the group's momentum continues to grow, expanding now to 30 different departments including south suburban Oak Lawn, Palos, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Midlothian, Homewood, Lockport, Lemont, New Lenox, Evergreen Park, Frankfort and Country Club Hills.

Project Fire Buddies this year fell in step with the Brigade, an effort under the umbrella of the Finley Forever Foundation. The Brigade works as a combined unit of several organizations—The Tom Hopkins Foundation, Christmas without Cancer and Finley Forever—which come together to raise money and bring cheer to families battling cancer during the holiday season by decorating the families' homes. The effort is entirely funded by donations collected throughout the year. In total, organizers purchased nearly $15,000 in decorations this year—all of which the recipient families will be able to keep.

Finley Forever Founder Dan Bracken started the foundation, and later the brigade, following the September 2020 death of his 2-year-old daughter Finley less than a year after she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Firefighters from across three states volunteer their time to decorate the homes of multiple recipients.

"When we were going through our battle with cancer, my dad and brother came over and forcefully made us decorate the house," Bracken previously told Patch. "It was in November, it's the last thing a family's worried about, is decorating the house, when you're dealing with this.

"... Money's great, emotional support's great, food trains are great—everything's great—but what can we do that takes a burden off the family? You never know when your last Christmas will be."

Country Club Hills firefighter Justin Haskett leads the department's chapter of Project Fire Buddies. Haskett's wife Lindsay is a lifelong friend of Cagle.

"Deanna's been a family friend for me, as long as I've known my wife," Justin Haskett said. "With what's going on and with her situation, she has two kids. ... This is what it's all about. All the puzzle pieces matched, and we were able to get it done.

"She's near and dear to everyone's hearts. ... It's awesome. This speaks to the whole support system—with her, her friends, what the fire department is, and what the Finley Foundation does. Everything's just a huge support system ... It all came together and this is what we do."

Lindsay Haskett said having previously witnessed the work of Project Fire Buddies, it was special to see it touch someone close to her.

"We love to do everything we can to bring joy to these families, and this one just hits home," Lindsay Haskett said. "It's just amazing to be able to do it for her."

Haskett and Cagle have "an unbreakable bond" along with several other longtime friends in their circle, Haskett said.

"Deanna's the best, she means everything to us," she added. "We're going to do everything we can to support her."

The Cagle's home was the third of five stops for the Brigade on Wednesday. The group this year was able to decorate 13 homes, including six total in the suburbs. Fire departments represented included Oak Lawn, Chicago, Posen, Flossmor, Country Club Hills, Lockport, Orland Park, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Tinley Park, Aurora, Chicago Heights, Cicero, Manhattan, New Lenox, Frankfort and McHenry Township.

Anne Hopkins, representing the Tom Hopkins Foundation, told Patch earlier in the evening that they've been thrilled to see the support shown to the Brigade, and were ecstatic to expand beyond its original premise of homes on the South Side of Chicago.

"We realized it was a great turnout, a lot of support from the community, and we heard a lot of great feedback," Hopkins said. "We said, 'let's make it bigger, let's expand.' All these firemen, everyone wants to come and volunteer and do this. It kind of grew overnight, and we're so happy to be a part of it.

"It's something so simple, seeing all these lights and all these people decorating ... so awesome."

Cagle said it was so touching to see so many come out in support of her as she's in her third round of chemo. She has been entered into a clinical trial through the University of Chicago. The support from her family, and friends like Haskett, has gotten her through her now second breast cancer diagnosis. A GoFundMe has been started by her mother as well to generate additional financial support for the Cagle family.

"They've been here for me since Day 1, even before I was diagnosed," Cagle said of Haskett and her family. "They're just amazing, she's amazing. I don't know what to say right now, I'm choked up."

Cagle and her husband Mike have two children together: Mikey, 4, and Lily, 10. Mike was so appreciative of the support shown to his family.

"It's kind of a blur, at times you don't really think it's real," Mike Cagle said of what it's been like to watch his wife endure this. "You take it day by day. There's good days, there's bad days, and we take the good days as we get 'em. And today's a great day.

"I've been kind of speechless about everything," he said. "... Look at all these people out here, basically coming out for a stranger they don't even know."

His wife deserves all of it and more, Cagle said. He admires his wife's resilience and optimism throughout.

"She's one of the strongest people I've ever met in my life," he said. "She takes every day that she gets, and she's extremely positive about everything. She's a great mother, great wife—I really couldn't ask for anything better."

Longtime friend Rachel Kurz watched as the night unfolded, and remarked on its significance.

"It's humbling to see the community come together to support her," Kurz said. "This whole situation is really tough, but there's a lot of beauty in 'tough,' so this is good. It feels good to see."