Meet the Models: Trish Siefer

Trish Siefer, walking in memory of her sister-in-law, Wendy Nicholson Bailey (2016.)

Trish, Marnie, Sis and Susannah will be walking in honor of our dear sister-in-law, daughter, cousin and best friend, Wendy Nicholson Bailey.   

Wendy passed away on August 22, 2016 at the age of 47 after a courageous three and a half year battle with triple negative breast cancer.  

Wendy was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in January 2013.  Wendy went through several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation and then a mastectomy at Sibley Hospital/Johns Hopkins in DC.  When the cancer kept coming back, in December of 2014, Wendy began a clinical trial under the leadership of Dr. Eric Winer at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.   The trial worked for about one year…  from January 2015- December 2015.  Wendy bravely commuted back and forth from DC to Boston during the trial.

When the doctors saw that the trial was no longer working, Wendy started immunotherapy at DF in January 2016.  After several months, when it was clear that this wasn’t working, Wendy stopped immunotherapy treatment and had more chemo treatments back at Johns Hopkins in DC.  Wendy had surgery on her lungs and other treatment to help improve her quality of life.  By the summer of 2016, Wendy was not well but still tried several new treatments at DF.  She spent her last vacation on Nantucket in June 2016, her favorite place on earth.  Wendy even took a flight from Nantucket to Boston from during her vacation for more treatment at Dana Farber.  Wendy passed away at home on August 22, 2016.  

Wendy fought hard, she was brave and strong. She wanted desperately to watch her children Nicholas (16 years old) and Beatrice (14 years old) grow up.  She was not ready to leave her children and her devoted husband Joseph Bailey, her parents, Marnie and John Nicholson (Marnie herself is a breast cancer survivor), her brother Peter and his family, and her 11 nieces and nephews.  

Wendy had many talents.  She was an avid health advocate….Wendy was a talented runner, soccer player, and a great cook.  Wendy was part of a fitness/boot camp group in DC called “Pure Intensity.”  She worked out almost every day with this group and even instructed the class for several months.  Wendy was a gifted florist, helping her parents in their DC flower shop.  

Wendy was raised in Washington, DC, where she attended St. Andrews School.  Wendy graduated from Denison University in 1991.  Wendy lived in Boston from 1994-1998 while her husband Joseph Bailey completed his PhD at MIT.  Wendy and Joe moved to Bethesda, MD in 1998 and raised their two children there, Nicholas and Beatrice.   Wendy volunteered in her children’s schools, she coached soccer teams, and was involved in the community. 

Wendy was brave, smart, kind and strong.  She was a devoted mother, and a wonderful wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.  She is terribly missed.