Cancer has had a direct and profound impact on Dillon Falardeau’s life. His cousin, best friend and fishing buddy Corey Gaudet died when they were 18 years old after being diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare cancerous tumor that forms on the brain stem.
Falardeau said his cousin always thought his body would heal, or doctors would find a cure before things got too bad. He never gave up, and that fighting spirit is what Falardeau tries to embody every day.
“He always told me, ‘Never stop. Never quit.’ I graduated high school, and I drove straight south and have been chasing this dream ever since,” Falardeau said. “I had $200 to my name, so joining tournaments wasn’t part of the budget. I went to University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and joined the military for 10 years. I was able to save a bunch of money and started the full journey.”
It’s the reason why Falardeau is in the position he is in this week in Knoxville.
Qualifying for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour isn’t just about achieving a lifelong dream, but a chance for Falardeau to honor his cousin by doing what they both loved the most. Each day of the Classic, the Rhode Island native will wear a wristband with the phrases “Never Give Up” and “Brain Cancer Sucks”, ensuring Gaudet is with him every second of this special event.
“It is why you’ll never see me angry or stressed. Anytime something happens in my life, I just think it could be so much worse,” the Bassmaster Opens pro said. “It really showed our family to stay positive and not take anything for granted. It really brought our family really, really close.”
Falardeau and Gaudet were inseparable growing up. Every chance they could, the duo would take a little canoe out to Lower Slatersville Reservoir in their home state and bass fish for as long as they could.
One bait did the trick most days: a red shad colored Yamamoto Senko. In the summers, only a quick swim would interrupt their day.
“We threw that from the minute the ice got off the lake until it froze over again,” Falardeau said. “We didn’t have cell phones, just fishing rods, a tackle box and a canoe. I don’t even think we brought water. We would sneak out of school and meet each other at the waterfall and jump in and fish the rest of the day. We got in a lot of trouble doing that.”
In the winter, they would ice fish in their favorite cove. Gaudet’s parents Teresa and Jimmy now own a house in that cove, and the memories of those days flood Falardeau’s mind every time he visits.
At 17, Gaudet started to experience serious headaches, and his time out on the water, and out in general, began to shorten. They eventually got so bad that his parents took him to the hospital.
“They basically told the doctors you need to do a CT scan on our son now. And they were like, ‘We need to schedule it.’ Cory ended up passing out in the hospital right there. So, they brought him in the emergency room.”
After several hours of testing, Falardeau received the news that his cousin was being transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital. There, he was diagnosed with DIPG, and doctors told the family Gaudet only had a short time left to live.
In his final months of life, the disease paralyzed Gaudet. In the midst of the worst moments of their lives, Falardeau and Gaudet made their last memories together.
Through the St. Jude Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Gaudet visited with the Boston Bruins and New England Patriots in the home locker rooms. Tom Brady even visited the house and Cory got to try on Super Bowl rings. One of his dreams was to fly in a helicopter, and when the opportunity arose, Gaudet could only choose one person to fly with him.
That person was Falardeau.
“They actually flew a helicopter into the backyard,” Falardeau said. “That was such a fun experience.”
Gaudet died on his 18th birthday. Falardeau isn’t sure if Gaudet would have pursued the professional fishing ranks like he has. But, if he were still here, Falardeau imagines his cousin would have moved to Tennessee with him, maybe even helped him with the guide business he has started on Lake Chickamauga.
Falardeau’s family, including Aunt Teresa and Uncle Jimmy, will all be in the Food City Arena to watch him weigh-in, and Falardeau has something special planned for them.
This week’s Classic is also an opportunity for Falardeau and his Skeeter Boat teammates to show support for local kids currently being treated for cancer. With the help of the St. Jude Foundation, each Skeeter pro has a custom windshield wrapped with a piece of art from a child being treated at the Knoxville Children’s Hospital.
“We got them the second day of practice,” Falardeau said. “We were all for it. It is awesome.”
