Play It Forward Fundraiser

Play It Forward is a fundraising event to raise money for Multiple Myeloma research.  In August of 2010, my mother, Joyce, was diagnosed with Stage III Multiple Myeloma.  That July, we had been to Walt Disney World and she seemed to be more tired than usual.  She made jokes about how it is hard getting old and talked about trying to lose weight when we got home.  Shortly after getting home from vacation, she started to have severe rib pain.  She had several reasons to believe it was nothing bad -- it showed up quite suddenly.  Perhaps she had bruised her rib when reaching out the car window to get the mail, or maybe one of the dogs jumped on her while she was in bed.

In January 2014, the oncologist she had been with since diagnosis told her nothing seemed to be working but my mom was not yet ready to give up.  She went to another oncologist at another hospital where she received new treatment.  Unfortunately, in Spring of 2014 after starting the second round of the new treatment, the doctors determined it was not working and quality of life care was the best direction forward.  My mom, 58, passed away surrounded by family on May 28, 2014.

Christmas was a very special time of year to my mom and the holiday season is exceptionally difficult for everyone who knew her.  Play It Forward is a way to honor my mom at her favorite time of year and help others with Multiple Myeloma.