Bay Area cancer patient finds purpose, inspiration selling variety of rubber ducks

TAMPA, Fla. - One woman with terminal cancer in Tampa Bay is finding a purpose in a project that began in an effort to help cover the cost of her medical bills.

Patrice Bergeron found out she had metastatic stage 4 breast cancer in 2022.

"I know that I wake up every day knowing that I will be dying of cancer," Patrice Bergeron said.

The prognosis, even with treatment, wasn’t favorable.

This also wasn’t her first battle with cancer. Bergeron was first diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2013.

She had been doing well for years, until she started having some other minor health concerns.

"Ironically, I was just at my oncologist the day before with perfect bloodwork and perfect cancer markers, with no detection of anything," Bergeron said. "And within 48 hours, I was told I had 11 tumors all over my body."

Bergeron says scans came back with the dreaded news that her cancer had progressed and was now terminal.

She underwent about 18 months of chemotherapy and treatment.

"The treatment plan was tough on me, so about nine months ago, I walked away from everything and started doing an abundance of holistic treatment," she said. "And all 11 of my tumors are actually smaller."

But Bergeron knows that there is no cure for her cancer.

She has found joy in spending time with her 5-year-old grandson. Bergeron says she and her grandson would always go on different trips together, but those slowed down over the last few years while she underwent treatment.

"He asked me if I still loved him," Bergeron said. "And I said, ‘Of course, I do. I love you very much. Why would you ever ask that?’ And he said, ‘Because we don’t go on our trips anymore.'"

As Bergeron’s cancer has progressed, she’s no longer able to work, but most of her medical care isn’t covered by insurance.

Bergeron says her grandson had an idea to help raise money for her medical expenses.

"He’s like, ‘I have an idea,'" she said. "He goes, ‘Why don’t we sell these, and then we can go on our trips.'"

She says he wanted to sell his Captain America toys. She wouldn’t let her grandson sell his beloved toys, but she wanted to think of something different that they could do.

"It was all about a ducky and for me, basically, to survive," Bergeron said.

Bergeron started selling customizable rubber duckies that people could decorate in different ways. She calls it "Adopt-a-Duck," and has started setting up her growing booth at different markets and events.

"They purchase these duckies in memory for their mother, their daughter, their father, their brother, their son," Bergeron said.

She says she quickly met people who would share stories about how cancer has touched them or their family.

"I found something that started out for me, but it’s so much bigger," she said. "The joy. The joy that these people bring to me about these duckies, there are no words to describe it."

Bergeron says the duckies are slowly helping her raise money for her medical care that will help her keep living, but she says the duckies are also giving her something to live for. 

"When you’re dying, you need a purpose, and this has given me a purpose," Bergeron said.

She hopes the purpose and the cause lives on long into the future. Bergeron’s friend plans to help her take it over eventually, and she hopes her grandson will also join. 

"Once I go up to heaven, every single person who bought these duckies for the memory of their family, they’re going to be at the gates of heaven, holding my ducky," Bergeron said.

Bergeron also started the trend, #wheretheduckru, for people to share how far the duckies have traveled, in hopes of creating a sense of community for people who have been touched by cancer.

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