Carrigan McCorrie-Raine Nelson, 24, of Portsmouth, RI, passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, at Boston Children’s Hospital after a courageous epic seven-year battle with Osteosarcoma bone cancer. Surrounded and embraced by love and her dedicated medical team in her final moments, Carrigan’s life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and compassion.
Born on February 8, 2001, Carrigan was the beloved daughter of Paul and Tammy Nelson and the cherished younger sister of Sawyer Nelson, all of Portsmouth. She was educated in the Portsmouth school system and later homeschooled. During her cancer journey – while undergoing intensive treatments, she attended the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), and graduated from the MMVS Career Mastermind Program for Contemporary Recording Artists NYC (2019).
Carrigan’s early years were filled with music, dance, and martial arts. She studied music theory, voice, and piano at the Bristol Music Academy and trained for over a decade collectively at Position One/Creative Motion Dance Studio, East Coast Performing Arts, and Kelley Ann Dance Center. A dedicated Taekwondo practitioner, she earned her black belt at Mardo’s Taekwondo Academy, was a student leader, and an eight time gold medalist and state champion.
Carrigan radiated creativity, compassion, and a deep love for life, music, and the arts, crafting, travel, pottery, farmer’s markets, advocating, volunteering, mentoring, time spent with her dogs, friends and family, and her community. She never let her cancer battle define her even through all she endured. Carrigan found joy in road trips with her family in their camper. Together, they explored nearly all 50 states and visited dozens of national parks and numerous Canadian Provinces. These experiences brought her great happiness and peace. Carrigan, a talented artist, was inspired by life on the road and she and her mother created countless works of art together in hope of creating a future art business with partial proceeds supporting childhood cancer related causes. Her mother will continue this endeavor in honor of their plans together.
Carrigan, a soulful songbird and award-winning vocalist, had boundless talent and she truly loved performing and sharing her voice to comfort and entertain and support causes close to her heart. Her passion for music was matched only by her commitment to using her voice for good. A gifted Mezzo-Soprano, she shared her voice both locally and nationally for charitable causes and childhood cancer events. She performed at Riverstock Music Festivals, Singing for Shelter, Cure Fest, MIB Agents Osteosarcoma FACTOR conferences, Strong Little Souls Gala, and proudly sang the National Anthem for the Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon in 2020. Music brought Carrigan great solace and became her sanctuary as her cancer progressed. She often performed for young patients during their treatments – transforming their fear into hope and healing. As her cancer impacted her lungs, diaphragm, and vocal cords, she adjusted her vocal techniques and continued to sing with unwavering determination alongside her musical partner, Steve Rodrigues.
Her many accolades include winning Beach Idol in 2015 and being named the 2019 Celebration of Music Producer’s Choice Winner. She held titles such as ARB’s Miss Aquidneck Island, the Newport NAACP Role Model of the Year (2019), Newport Daily News Youth Leader Award recipient (2020), Rhode Island’s Honorary Miss Outstanding Teen (2020), and RI Communities Choice Awards “Person of the Year” (2025). She proudly received numerous awards for her mentoring and volunteer work within her beloved Aquidneck Island community. Carrigan‘s light touched all who knew her through community events, her wide social media outreach, and personal connections. In honor of her courage and impact, her hometown of Portsmouth, followed by the Rhode Island House and Senate, declared February 8th as Carrigan Nelson Day and Cancer Warrior Day.
Carrigan was a nationally recognized childhood cancer advocate. She used her platform to amplify young voices, lobby for increased research funding in Washington, D.C., and educate others about the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer. She organized fundraisers and donation drives and held leadership roles in several pediatric cancer nonprofits. In collaboration with her dear friend Madison Quinn of Strong Little Souls Childhood Cancer Foundation, and through the generosity of many, Carrigan provided care packages to teens and young adults facing cancer, an effort that will continue in her memory.
Her grace through adversity was nothing short of extraordinary; despite relentless treatments since 2019, she radiated joy, kindness, compassion, determination, bravery, and positivity. As her illness progressed, Carrigan remained deeply committed to helping others. She delivered motivational speeches highlighting the urgent need for better treatments and more funding and research for childhood cancers. She participated in several clinical trials and numerous research studies, including the groundbreaking Osteosarcoma Project, and made a final selfless gift by donating her tumors and surrounding tissue to science to aid medical advancements in Osteosarcoma.
She is deeply mourned by her devoted parents Paul and Tammy Nelson; her loving brother and best friend Sawyer Nelson; her dear Auntie Bonnie and Uncle Rodney of Foster; her cousin Warren Moniz; extended family; her beloved dachshunds Mr. Toffee and Malibu; her dearest friends Hannah Nasser, Deaven Piermont, Madison Quinn, Shelby Matthews, Mary Jane (MJ) Milici, Sophia Skaltsis; Molly Andrade; Rachel Cicchelli, Lexi Caron, Hunter Duncan, many close friends who became family, her pageant sisters, and her longtime partner and childhood best friend Aidan McDonald.
Carrigan’s family expresses heartfelt gratitude to all on Team Carrigan made up of many compassionate, prayerful, and generous individuals, businesses, organizations, non-profits, the childhood cancer community, fellow cancer warriors, followers, and devoted family and friends who have uplifted and supported them throughout Carrigan’s cancer journey.
The family extends special thanks and praise for the Aquidneck Island Police and Fire departments and the Rhode Island and Massachusetts State Police units for escorting their angel home; her skilled and dedicated medical teams led by Dr. Katie Janeway, Sarah Sallen NP, Dr. Charles Berde and the BCH Pain Team, and the compassionate teams at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital 5th Floor nurses, The Tomorrow Fund, her Jimmy Fund Clinic family, Portsmouth CVS Pharmacy, Portsmouth Fire & Rescue, Dr. Matt Forster (Forster Orthodontics), Vision Works, and many others who lovingly cared for Carrigan. The Nelsons offer deep appreciation to the those who walked Carrigan’s journey beside them; Steven Rodrigues, the Nassers, Carcellers, Andrades, Milicis, Daglios, Fords, Downings, Perry family, Gorman family, Shaw/Hebert families, Oldham and Histing families, Brittany King and the gang, Carrigan’s Riverstock music family, MMVS family, and countless others. Special thanks given for Carrigan’s Auntie Bonnie’s love, steadfast support, and thoughtful, unwavering care.
A Celebration of Life and Benefit Concert (to establish Music, Arts, and Community Service Scholarships in Carrigan’s memory) will be held on Sunday, February 1st from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Newport Hotel in Middletown, RI. Details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, Carrigan encouraged acts of compassion, or donations in her memory, to causes close to her heart: The Housing Hotline; Strong Little Souls Childhood Cancer Foundation; The Potter League for Animals; The Aquidneck Food Pantry; The Jimmy Fund Clinic; The Tomorrow Fund; The Izzy Foundation; The Hero Package Foundation; MIB Agents; The 3 Angels Fund; The Viking Riders; Arms Wide Open; United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation; Riverstock Music Festival; Aquidneck Island Charity Golf Tournament; Cornhole for a Cause; Rosemary’s Wish Kids; Boston Children’s Hospital; Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Disabled American Veterans Honor Guard; Hillside Charities; among many others.
Carrigan’s legacy is etched in the songs she leaves behind, and the thousands of cancer warriors she inspired. Her legacy cannot be measured in years, but rather in the lives she has changed. Carrigan lived a short but meaningful life with resilience and purpose, and her absence here on earth is heartbreaking. Her magic, however, was incredibly impactful and eternal. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Carrigan wanted the world to know that she did not lose her battle with cancer – she stayed true to herself. “She never gave up or gave in.” She always stayed silly. In the words of Tom Petty; she never “backed down.”
“It’s all about the climb.” – Miley Cyrus
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