Known amongst students as a staff member in charge of tidying SSA’s campus, Deborah Saucier’s resilient nature and bubbly personality make her journey working for SSA remarkable. Guided by her faith, love for God, persistence for her quilt work in her free time and affinity for students, Saucier never ceases to take in every moment of every day, allowing the grace of God to guide her heart.
On March 14, 2012, Sauicer got sick and was admitted to the hospital to endure an endovascular coiling, a procedure done to help her recover from a brain aneurysm. The procedure was unsuccessful and Saucier had a stroke. On April 30, 2012, she had brain surgery to clip the aneurysm. Even though two more strokes followed after the brain surgery, the toughest part of her recovery was no longer being allowed to operate heavy equipment for Boh Brothers (a heavy equipment company she worked as an operator for before 2012).
When she worked at Boh Brothers as an apprentice, Saucier met her now husband Wilton Saucier, nicknamed Tucky: “[He], taught me how to plow tile on a dozer and that’s the final, final grade on a dozer… He also taught me how to operate an excavator… an excavator is what I love to do.” A dozer (short for bulldozer) is powerful tractor-driven machinery that has a broad horizontal blade used to move earth while an excavator is a massive machine used at building sites to remove soil from the ground. Saucier also worked on a buck hoist. This is an elevator shaft built outside of the framework of a potential during its construction stage. This temporary elevator system vertically transports workers, materials, and equipment to the desired levels of a building being constructed.
Saucier’s fight wasn’t over just yet. On September 20, 2012, She was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer. The treatment she endured led her down a road of depression, led Saucier on a rollercoaster of emotions: “From having the breast cancer and the [chemotherapy radiation], …it was about a year-long fight for me.”
Despite Saucier’s brain aneurysm and overcoming breast cancer, camaraderie was what got her through her toughest moments, especially since working in the presence of others was something she greatly missed. Since leaving Boh Brothers, Saucier felt she worked by herself most of the time–which wasn’t the most enjoyable for her.
In 2021, Saucier prayed for direction. Her prayers were answered when she was hired at SSA. Working as a staff member since the class of 2025 were little freshmen: “I’ve been here the whole time [y’all have] been growin’ up” Saucier proclaims, “I’m not leaving y’all… Being here working with [Mr. Ron and Mr. Craig] is awesome… I get my hands dirty… cleanin’ for y’all… [in] stuff that I am used to.”
The experience of Saucier’s battles and treatment led her to be a role model for her stepdaughter, who was diagnosed last year with stage three triple-negative breast cancer. Going through chemotherapy and radiation, Saucier knows the pressure and recovery of it all and has been by her stepdaughter’s side since her cancer spread into her bones, liver, pancreas and brain. Her stepdaughter is currently at Mary Bird Perkins and M. D. Anderson in Baton Rouge for radiation. According to Saucier, the brain radiation worked, and it is truly a gift to go through a similar experience to help make her stepdaughter’s fight a little less uncomfortable.
As a result of her own fight with cancer, Saucier’s kidneys are currently being monitored for kidney failure. Yet Saucier remains a fighter, and one of the things helping with healing is a love for quilting, which is one of the greatest acts of love she expresses to every person she comes across. Whether it is for her family, friends, staff members, or the students of SSA, Saucier’s quilt work are priceless gifts created by a person with an extraordinarily selfless and generous soul, making her one of the brightest lights at SSA.
Below are questions asked about her passion for quilting, her previous experience working on machinery, and how her faith guided her life in a positive light!
Regardless of what she went through, Saucier exemplifies love in action: “I only have one life. That’s it. Why not make it enjoyable?”
Please enjoy the following slideshow of her work!
