SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Nancy Baumann has been a Scranton police officer for 25 years, but her world came crashing down after a diagnosis in November of 2024.

“In the moment when they told me, it was unreal,” Baumann recalled, talking through a mask. “You know, it was like, I thought I was having a nightmare.”

It was MDS, a blood cancer. For the last year and a half, she’s lived with practically no immune system and although she’s in remission, her life has completely changed.

“I can’t be six feet toward people like, that’s as far as I can get,” Baumann explained. “They can’t hug me. You know, I haven’t had hugs from people in, you know, a year and a half It’s really had when you’re used to being around people and interacting and stuff and getting hugs all the time, you know, it’s hard not to do that.”

But her community wouldn’t let her fight it alone.

For the last few weeks, other Scranton cops have been planning a fundraiser for Baumann, and today, hundreds streamed in throughout the day to buy a pasta dinner and basket raffle tickets, every dollar going to her bills and expenses as she continues treatment.

“With everybody that was here today we, you know, we just didn’t expect this many people to come out and support Nancy, but it’s been tremendous and it really has been overwhelming in such a great way,” said Jill Foley, another Scranton police officer that organized the event. “We can’t say thank you enough. It’s been since we started planning this, everybody has been terrific, and it’s just been I don’t even have words. It’s been awesome.”

And the whole time, standing behind the bar, was the woman of the hour. Handing out fist bumps and talking with the droves that came to wish her well and support her in her fight.

To Baumann, it was unbelievable.

“I saw all the baskets and that was overwhelming,” said Baumann. “You know, now I’m seeing people that, I mean some people I don’t even know! It’s amazing. It’s amazing. There’s no words. There’s absolutely no words I mean, I’ve always been there for people and now people are there for me, and I never expected it like this, at all.”

The event won’t affect her affliction, but now, she knows she can fight harder than ever before, with a community that has her back.