Dominique Matteson
Dion Jones (left) with Matteson, “a world-class human,” at one of their many brunch club destinations.
“Friends are life’s reward for getting it right.” These words — written, as it happens, by long-beloved UConn professor Gina Barreca — appeared in an article that I’d once emailed to a group of my most cherished ladies, Dominique (Soucy) Matteson ’03 (CLAS) among them. I’d wanted to remind these friends, old and new, how much I loved them.
While Dominique and I were both Connecticut natives born in Hartford, UConn grads, and for quite some time unknowingly part of overlapping circles of mutual friends, it wasn’t until about 2012 that our paths truly aligned.
Life had very much rewarded me with this meaningful new friendship, and let me tell you, Dominique proved to be a world-class human more than worth the wait.
Dominique had then been in remission for three years from chronic myelogenous leukemia. Her candor about the reality of this disease in her day-to-day life impressed me as much as her quick wit and up-for-anything attitude delighted me. From Halloween parties and game nights to brewery outings and book and brunch clubs, we wasted no more time, reveling in each other’s company.
I believe she saw her diagnosis as a purpose — a commitment to making the absolute most of every moment. She volunteered to run fundraising teams that amassed tens of thousands of dollars to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), now called Blood Cancer United. An eloquent speaker and endlessly generous soul, she shone not only in the spotlight, speaking at LLS fundraising events but also just as brightly in the background, sharing her free time to connect with peers who were just learning how to cope with similar blood cancers.
A professional fundraiser, Dominique was elated when her career trajectory returned her in 2021 to the campus she loved, leading charitable-giving efforts at the UConn Foundation. Her colleagues would be the first to gush to you about her talent, magnetism, and sense of humor. It seems no coincidence that many of them still talk about how she once appeared for a friendly workplace competition sporting a superhero’s cape and mask. Among her many superpowers was delivering a sense of joy and fearlessness to any challenge she accepted. You couldn’t help but be charmed.
In everyday life, people from all walks of life gravitated toward her. If you were separated from Dominique for a few moments at a concert, a party, or a restaurant, you could count on finding her soon after in deep conversation with a perfect stranger. She’d be the first person to befriend a tour guide or a fellow traveler on vacations we took together, asking a friendly question or instantly winning them over with a clever remark. The next thing you knew, Dominique would be hosting this newest addition to our friend group at her house for weekend visits.
Dominique lived fully, with a heart that was nothing but honest and bold and, most certainly, true Husky blue. Losing her to a swift and unexpected illness in September 2025 has laid bare how dark and deep a chasm she’s left behind for so many of us.
A few days before writing these words, I stood alongside her loved ones at the annual Blood Cancer United Light the Night Walk. We’d gathered for this same event years earlier to celebrate Dominique as a survivor. Now, each of us held a glowing golden lantern toward the night sky in her memory. I tried to take comfort in the expanse of colorful lights materializing in the crowd around us: We are meant to grieve together.
Dominique’s luminous presence in my life was a privilege, a precious reward. I will keep seeking her light, knowing I’m not alone.
By Stefanie Dion Jones ’00 (CLAS)
The below story on Matteson appeared in the Spring 2014 digital edition of UConn Magazine as part of "Portraits of Strength," a feature highlighting alumni stories of resilience.
“When you’re told you have this chronic illness that could lead to death, you think, ‘OK, I’ve got to get more out of life,’” Dominique (Soucy) Matteson ’03 (CLAS) says.
Matteson was back at work the day after she was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. “What am I going to do? I can’t sit and cry about it,” she says.
Unable to find a bone marrow transplant match in the spring of 2005, the then-23-year-old Matteson tried Gleevec, a medication aimed at preventing the growth of cancer cells. “They call it the miracle pill,” she says. “It forces your body into remission.”
Three years later, the drug had not worked as expected. “Fifty percent of my cells were showing cancer,” Matteson says. “Finding out it came back scared me more than finding out in the first place … That was probably my lowest point. It was really hard.”
“Share your story … It doesn’t matter how small it may be to you, it can have an influence on people’s lives.”
—Dominique (Soucy) Matteson ’03 (CLAS)
But raised “to make the best out of whatever situation,” Matteson switched to Tasigna, becoming a “guinea pig” for the newly approved drug.
Within a year, she was in remission. To celebrate, Matteson contacted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in 2010 and volunteered to talk with newly diagnosed patients. “I wish I’d had a peer to talk to,” she says. “I was a young woman with this disease … which is usually diagnosed in middle-aged, white males.”
Learning about LLS fundraising programs, including Light the Night Walks, which help raise awareness of blood cancers as well as funding for research, Matteson immediately formed her own team for an upcoming Hartford Light the Night event in South Windsor, Connecticut. When LLS needed people to serve on their planning committee, Matteson signed on. She also directed traffic for LLS marathon runners, spoke before the 1,000 participants at the Light the Night Walk, and has organized teams of fundraisers for the event for the past four years.
She now speaks at fundraising events across the state and has met with cyclists training for LLS-sponsored rides, inspiring them for their 100-mile races. Last fall, she chaired her local chapter’s corporate leadership committee, raising more than $100,000 for the 2013 Hartford Light the Night Walk. Her own team of walkers has raised upwards of $14,000 over four years.
When it comes to fundraising for LLS, Matteson, who works as an assistant director of annual giving at Yale University, is in her zone. “I stand here because of you. I stand here every day because of you … The money raised by funding helped with the research for the medicine I’m now on,” she tells audiences.
Away from the podium, Matteson confides, “I firmly believe I owe the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society my life because of all the research that went into the medicine that saved my life.”
She is also grateful to her alma mater. “I realize I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my education. I’m really proud of my education at UConn. I was exposed to so much more than I ever was growing up,” says Matteson, who is the first and only member of her family to have completed college.
When diagnosed with cancer, “The first thing you do is question why,” she says. But rather than focus on the “why,” she said, “OK, this happened. What are you going to do about it?”
Cancer, she asserts, made her a stronger person. “Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to go to college, [and] I always wanted to make a difference in someone’s life,” Matteson says. “Cancer has given me amazing opportunities” to make that difference.
Reluctant at first to speak publicly, Matteson now tells others: “Share your story … It doesn’t matter how small it may be to you, it can have an influence on people’s lives.”
By Mary Anne Chute Lynch ’76 (ED)