EASTHAMPTON — Throughout his career in medicine, Joe Yarasavych treated a lot of patients.
After serving as a medic in the U.S. Navy, the Easthampton man spent 30 years in the pharmacy of the Edward P. Boland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds.
Outside of work, Yarasavych and his wife, Christina Yarasavych, were very active in maintaining their 17-room home and keeping up with their seven children.
But as symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type II — a form of muscular dystrophy which causes muscles to progressively grow weaker and lose mass over time — have grown worse, the 76-year-old man has slowed down, leaving much of the household responsibilities to his 80-year-old wife.
One particular emotional sore spot for the older couple is their yard.
Growing up in Scotland, Christina Yarasavych was accustomed to expertly manicured yards as her father was an award-winning landscape gardener.
“My father used to win competitions every year for his yard, so I made sure I wasn’t letting him down with my yard,” she said. “But it’s hard now. And seeing how bad the yard has gotten, it just makes me so sad.”
To help ease that strain, members of the American International College Yellow Jackets men’s lacrosse team recently pitched in to help clean the couple’s yard.
“We all know someone or have connections to people who have served in the U.S. military and need some help,” Jack Spallone, head coach of men’s lacrosse, said on a particularly blustery day early this month. “Keeping up with tasks like raking and a large yard can be especially difficult here in New England, so I’m happy to have our guys helping out for a cause that’s very important to me.”
Gabe Zippin, a resident of Monson who is majoring in criminal justice at AIC, said that donating his time to help Joe Yarasavych was the least he could do.
“I’m happy to give back to someone who has given so much for all of us,” Zippin said.
The team connected with Yarasavych through South Hadley-Easthampton Veterans Agent Michael Slater, the Springfield Vet Center and social worker Elizabeth “Liz” Plouffe.
“Joe and Christina were some of the first people I met when I came on as the community social worker in Easthampton and they’re just wonderful,” Plouffe said. “I love hearing their stories. They’ve done so much for the community throughout the years and it’s great that others are helping them.”
This isn’t the first time Slater has helped athletes connect with a veteran or a family of a veteran. In November, he helped connect members of the Junior Thunderbirds hockey team with a service project for South Hadley Gold Star mother, Karen Daly, who lost her son Steven in combat.
Joe Yarasavych said that while he has lived in Easthampton his entire life — moving just a half-mile from where he grew up — it’s his adopted son Billy Dixon that more people are familiar with. Dixon, who died last November at the age of 60, was a familiar face to many in Easthampton as he spent more than two decades working as a front-end service clerk, bagging groceries and rounding up shopping carts at Big E’s Foodland.
Dixon was also one of the original members of the first handicapped Boy Scouts of America Troop 308 in Northampton and a Special Olympics athlete, taking home numerous medals in events including swimming.
“Everyone knew and loved Billy,” said Joe Yarasavych. “He was a bit of a local celebrity.”
Slater said he was very appreciative of the support of the Yellow Jackets and Coach Spallone and how much of a positive effect their actions will have on Joe Yarasavych and his family.
“We were so active when we were young,” said Joe Yarasavych. “But I can’t walk now — I can’t do it anymore. This is great, and I’m so grateful for everyone’s help.”
Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.
