Greetings from Stockbridge, Georgia.  I began volunteering for the American Cancer Society in 1989 to “fight back” in memory of my mom and dad who I lost to cancer in 1989 & 1987.  I have enjoyed seeing the great strides ACS is making and am convinced my parents would have certainly had a longer life with resources available especially through American Cancer Society Research. My “fight back” resolve has only increased as my brother received a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis in 2001 (he is cancer free) and losing his son, my 34-year-old nephew to Angiosarcoma in 2019.

From a blood test looking for something totally unrelated, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer) in 2015.  I immediately put my years of volunteering with the American Cancer Society to work by using cancer.org, seeking information from a researcher and even staying at the Hope Lodge.  After reaching stable status from 8 months of treatment, I am happy to say that my numbers continue to be stable.  Currently, Multiple Myeloma is not curable and I will be dealing with this the rest of my life but new treatments are discovered frequently.

I have been involved in every aspect of Relay For Life since 1992 and have served on many Regional and National Teams.  I was selected as a Voices of Hope in 2019 and a Global Hero of Hope in 2020.  I was also honored to receive the St. George Award by the American Cancer Society in 2020.  I would love to share my whole story and show you what a difference the American Cancer Society has made in my life.  I have been married to Jeff since 1987 and we have a son who is an educator.