Therese's Story
Therese McFadden was born on May 25, 1959, in Pasadena to John and Virginia McFadden and was raised in San Marino, CA, the youngest of four children. Her family moved in 1977 to Newport Beach, CA where Therese attended community college and later transferred to UCLA. Therese would go on to graduate in 1981 from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
Inspiring Mother & Wife
Therese grew into a strong beautiful woman who was closely connected to her family, friends, and community. She had a very dry and witty sense of humor and loved to make her friends laugh. Always an optimist, Therese saw the best in people, and as an artist loved beauty in the arts, and in nature. Therese was extraordinarily dedicated to her work, and was selfless, always sacrificing her own interests to support friends and family in anything they needed.
Marriage and Family
In 1986 Therese married Donald Wisdom and relocated to Santa Clarita California. There in Santa Clarita Therese formed new friendships and spent time raising her two boys, Brian, and Andrew. Therese was a class mom a team mom, and the absolute best mom and wife to her “three boys.
Rich text
In 2008 with her boys in high school, Therese ventured back to work, signing on as an employee for Trader Joes in Palmdale CA. Trader Joes became more than an employer to Therese, she became remarkably close to her fellow teammates and her customers, often referring to her store as “my second family”. She embraced the Trader Joes philosophy of product quality and value, and spent many hours outside work studying the origin, composition, and qualities of the products she was presenting to her customers.
Something Felt Different
In late August 2023 Therese was experiencing elevated levels of abdominal discomfort in her abdomen and showed signs of bloating. Therese usually would fight through the daily aches and pains that began in middle age, but this time the pain, fatigue and the swelling were noticeable different.
Cancer Diagnosis
Finally, over Labor Day weekend Therese checked into Henry Mayo hospital for a battery of tests. The tests came back positive for ovarian cancer. The laparoscopy revealed that Therese was in Stage III cancer with spots on both her liver and intestines. After a full round of chemotherapy Therese was sent home from the hospital in mid-October 2023.
It Happened So Fast
On the morning of November 18th, however, her condition worsened. During the evening of November 18th her blood pressure and heart rate began deteriorating. The doctors and nurses sent her to intensive care, but it was too late, two blood clots had settled in her lungs. We lost Therese to this world in the early morning hours of November 19th, 2023.
Therese was incredibly brave in her fight, never once uttering a complaint about her illness, always optimistic about her future, and our future. Therese was a shining example to all of us about how to live life, and face death, with dignity and courage. We will forever love her and will always remember her for the character and strength that she displayed in her final days.
Our Committment
We are establishing the Therese Wisdom Memorial Foundation to raise awareness and support for the care and treatment for women impacted by ovarian cancer. We have partnered with non-profit organizations dedicated to delivering patient counseling and vital support services, and together with the medical community hope to make a difference in the fight against ovarian cancer.