Community Champion: Rachel Lucier-Troy
We are honored to introduce you to Community Champion Rachel Lucier-Troy. She is a volunteer CARE Team member and the legacy caregiver of her firefighter husband, Mat. After his passing, she has found strength in community and helps others as they face cholangiocarcinoma. You can sometimes catch her on our Mindful Mondays series on social media, where she shares her talents as a yoga instructor.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Boston, MA, and have worked in the health tech industry for over a decade, with a primary focus on digital health innovation. In my current role, I partner with hospitals across the U.S. to guide their digital health strategies. The most rewarding part of my work is helping to create access to care for patients in rural and underserved communities. Outside of my corporate job, I teach yoga and am extremely passionate about all things health and wellness.
How have you been involved with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation?
I first found out about CCF when I was a caregiver to my husband Mat. The Foundation provided us with so much hope and knowledge that I always knew I would want to find ways to give back when the time was right. After my husband passed, his oncologist recommended that I consider joining the New England CARE team. I have been on the team ever since! We meet regularly and plan events for the New England CCF community.
With the help of friends and family, I have also been a part of extremely successful fundraising efforts and have participated in many years of the Light It Green initiatives!
What has been the most meaningful part of your involvement?
There is an incredible quiet power in being part of a community that has a shared experience. While I initially joined to give back, the CCF community unexpectedly became a source of strength for me as I navigated my own grief. What I have found is so much more than a volunteer role. It’s connection, understanding, and a shared commitment to making things better for the next patient and family.
What message would you like to share with others in the cholangiocarcinoma community?
However, this diagnosis has touched your life; there is a place for you here. CCF brings together people who get it on a level that’s hard to explain. Sometimes just knowing someone else understands can make all the difference.
How do you stay motivated and hopeful in this work?
My husband Mat is my source of inspiration! I saw firsthand how the mentorship program and in-person events brought him a sense of hope and ease. Being able to (hopefully!) provide that same sense of comfort and hope to someone else is truly a gift! If sharing my time or helping organize an event can bring even a small sense of ease to someone, then it is absolutely worth it.
I am also fueled by the warmth and brilliance of the people I have met (the patients, families, researchers, and doctors). It is so motivating to be surrounded by people who are committed to building a more hopeful present and a better future for those impacted by cholangiocarcinoma.