Portsmouth Distiller Living ‘Life as a Verb’ After Two Cancer Diagnosis
I just love hearing about people like this!
Not long ago, a listener, Donna, emailed me and told me about her brother, Dan Doyon who lives in Portsmouth with his wife, Eileen. Eileen, in turn, emailed me with a fantastic story of strength and inspiration.
In 2017, Dan found out that he had prostate cancer. A diagnosis that I'm sure was scary for him, his wife, Eileen and their family. It was around that time that Dan and Eileen took a chance at marketing a product that they had been making for their family and friends for years. He asked himself, "If I don't do it now, when?" The Flying Fortress Red Head came to market in December of 2018. Dan describes it as "Christmas in a Bottle!" Gotta get me some of THAT! It sounds exactly what you would want it to be. From his website, flyingfortressspirits.com, it's a combination of cranberry and spice. Perfect for Christmastime or anytime! That combo also screams to me, SUMMER in a bottle. A year 'round bottle of happiness, is what they ought to call it!
The Flying Fortress is a tribute to WWII Veterans, which is why the Red Head label features a red-headed pin-up model just like the ones on the noses of the WWII B-17 Bombers known as "The Flying Fortress." Dan is a Navy Vet himself.
All was going well and still is... however, this past March, 2020, Dan found out that he has follicular lymphoma. As if 2020 wasn't hard enough, Dan had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. Dan didn't let this slow him down. On Thanksgiving week, this year, he had a biopsy and no new cancer was found!
The Red Head can now be found in 19 locations of the NH State Liquor Outlet and of course, directly from the website: www.flyingfortressspirits.com. You can drink it over ice or there's a lot of recipes that use it too that you can find on the website. AND, Dan is creating a FOOD LINE that he is launching next year. Wow.
Most of all, Dan now lives LIFE as a verb!!!
Carpe Diem, Dan!! Thanks for the inspiration and Merry Christmas!
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