JOE'S STORY

Joe was the best of the best. 

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He was the best son, the best brother, the best husband, and the best friend.  He cared so much about everyone else, and everyone knew it.  Not everyone keeps a running note in their phone about gift ideas for his family members.  And if you were to ask any of his friends, they would tell you that Joe was always checking in with a text, phone call, or better yet, a visit. Joe was the guy who carried around a note in his wallet that his wife wrote for him on his birthday.  He always had other people in mind and lived a life with intention to live it out to the fullest.  He sought out fun and quality time with friends and family for 29 years. 

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In the spring of 2018, Joe started experiencing symptoms that led us through an exhausting summer of doctor visits and hospital stays.  We spent an entire summer trying to find any reason behind his symptoms and brain cancer never entered our mind.  There was no way that was a possibility in this healthy, happy, fun-loving man.  

 

And in August of 2018, we were faced with the ugliest truth.  Joe was diagnosed with a grade III astrocytoma (brain cancer). This allowed us to pursue treatment on the tumor that sat at the base of his brain.  The worst part for Joe (and all of us) was that due to the location of the mass, it highly impacted his ability to speak, eat, move and merely stay awake.  Yet, Joe did not give up, and neither did we.  We pushed so hard for him because he would have pushed so hard for us.  There were some incredibly difficult days, and yet he continued to fight for himself and fight for us. 

 

And because Joe was so different from his true self in his last 5 months of life, this is not even close to his whole story, and it is not who he wants to be remembered by.  Joe’s story is the 29 full years of life before the brain tumor.  The story of loving family, spending time with friends, golfing 9 holes on Friday before work, and living for the day he could be a dad.

 

While Joe’s dream of becoming dad came true, many of you know that he was not here on Earth to meet his daughter, Zoey.  And although he is not here to play the role of Dad, he will absolutely be guiding her throughout her lifetime.  It’s already very clear that many pieces of Zoey came straight from her father, and she will always know that he is right here with us.  And as she grows older, she will become more and more familiar with the man Joe was.  She will see this tournament come together year after year as proof of the impact her dad had on this world.  

 

You can see why this tournament is so important to us.  It’s not just about raising money for a good cause.  This tournament represents Joe, and allows us to tell his story.  It represents our commitment to remind ourselves to always reach for a fun and full life, because 29 years just wasn’t long enough.