New England Donor Services: ‘They showed compassion’ — Southborough school rallies around educator facing ultra-rare form of cancer
While starting her career as an education support professional, Christina Aguirre found out she was one in a million – just not in the way she would’ve hoped. In February 2021, she was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE), an ultra-rare cancer that grows from the cells that make up the blood vessels.
After a long journey, Aguirre is back in the classroom. In February 2026, five years after she was first diagnosed, she’s celebrating her health and recognizing the people – including a Southborough school community – that helped her during her most difficult moments.
After her diagnosis, Aguirre started to work at Mary E. Finn Elementary School. However, with no standard treatment for her condition, her once-mild symptoms began to worsen. The children around her noticed her eyes, yellow from jaundice. Her stomach began to bloat, she began to lose hair from chemotherapy, and she lost a significant amount of muscle mass.
Read more via the Community Advocate >> https://www.communityadvocate.com/news/they-showed-compassion-southborough-school-rallies-around-educator-facing-ultra-rare-form-of-cancer/article_e6014e39-db11-4d3a-a2c6-0cee6dfda16c.html