By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

Clarkston has long been known as a town that exudes a family atmosphere.
Throw in adversity, and the town comes together even more.
Amy Peterson’s family was brought up in Clarkston, and she graduated from Clarkston High School in 1996, followed by her brother Nick in 1999 and sister Emily in 2003.
After finishing her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan, Emily moved to Arizona to get her Master’s degree in Social Work. There, she met and married her husband Matt Buchanan and they started their family. Emily worked full-time for Hospice and Matt, a retired United States Marine, continued his contract work overseas, mostly in Afghanistan and Iraq.
When Emily was not quite 30 and her daughter Reagan was 18 months old, she received a breast cancer diagnosis. “Although she was far from home, she had a great group of friends that rallied around her and family took turns going to stay with the family throughout treatment,” Amy Peterson said. “Feeling helpless at times, I arranged a spaghetti dinner fundraiser hosted at Waypoint Church and we filled the place, raised awareness and funds to help with medical bills, and even Zoomed Emily in for her to greet all her supporters.”
Emily opted for a full mastectomy in hopes she would never have to endure cancer or chemo ever again. She went on to have two boys, Jackson and Wilson, and during her third trimester with Wilson, received another breast cancer diagnosis. She beat it again with the help of friends, family, and sometimes even strangers who did incredible things to honor her, and Clarkston once again hosted a fantastic fundraiser for the family.
“What is remarkable about Emily is that she did not complain or indulge in pity once along the way,” said Amy Peterson. “She worked full-time through both diagnoses, through the hair loss, sickness from chemo, and raising her babies for 2-3 months at a time with her husband half a world away. I often say she is an angel on earth, and it’s hard not to center this entire situation on the integrity of this amazing human.
“You will not find anyone more pure or selfless on this earth.”
Last summer, Matt and Emily sold their home in Gilbert, Ariz., and began renting a home in Clarkston, waiting for the market to settle a little before buying. Emily wanted to be closer to family while Matt traveled for work.
“Living down the road from family seemed like a dream come true,” Amy Peterson said. “However, in late September, we started to notice some unexplained bleeding and bruising on Jackson, prompting a doctor’s appointment and blood draw. The doctor called after hours on a Friday to ask Emily to bring Jack to the hospital immediately and to pack a bag as he would be staying. Family sprung into action to host the other two kids while tests and diagnoses were being determined. Watching an almost four-year-old boy go through the rigors of blood draws, hourly vitals, and strangers approaching him every waking hour took a toll on all of us. Jack can’t understand any of this. He has autism spectrum disorder. He began to whimper every time his hospital door opened, only finding comfort in his stuffed Pluto and his collection of coins. Jack was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) with port placement, and chemo started immediately.
“Our little village didn’t miss a beat.”

Peterson went on to say that her family is finding positives through all of these events.
“The amazing silver lining about walking through a traumatic event is the power of community and creative ways people find to get around our family,” she said. “A meal train was started, gift cards for meal delivery began showing up, GoFundMe, toys and blankets were made and dropped off. Reagan’s friends organized a birthday party for her when hers had to be canceled because they were in the hospital. Blood drives were scheduled both here and in Arizona. People are amazing. I have said often that we feel ‘carried’ through this, but this is a marathon and not a sprint. Jack likely faces years of treatment, and we are hoping to have as many cheering at Mile 25 as we do now.”
As the 2022-23 school year began, Emily’s dear friend Casey, who, incidentally was an elementary friend at Clarkston Elementary now living in North Carolina, sent bracelets with Jackson’s name and initials for the family to wear. Reagan wore hers to her second grade class at Springfield Plains and recently, her teacher, Stephanie Jacobson, also a Clarkston graduate, notified Emily that the Reagan’s classmates have decided they all want a bracelet as well.
“This is a testament to the power of community here in Clarkston,” Amy Peterson said. “From an incredibly early age, we have been taught to care about our neighbors, encouraging and helping where we can. They are learning it in the classroom, and it is being modeled at home.
“Many people who are raised here move back here to raise their families. And while Clarkston isn’t perfect, I am convinced that we’ve got something pretty special here. I’m proud to be a part of this community. My kids are watching and learning this incredible miracle unfold, and we aren’t facing this alone.”

TOP PHOTO: Stephanie Jacobson’s class at Springfield Plains show off bracelets in support of the Buchanan family’s ongoing cancer fight. Photo: Amy Peterson