Rallying Amy's Army
Donation protected
Many of you known Amy Edmonds was diagnosed with DCIS invasive stage 3 cancer with micro metastasis in the lymph node on November 17, 2015. Amy went on to have a double lumpectomy and port placement surgeries. She is currently half way through her chemo treatment which will total 16 weeks of chemotherapy followed by 6 weeks of radiation at 5 days a week! Praying all goes well, with no complications and cancer gone, she will BACK in action in no time!
My name is Josie, and Amy is my chosen sister, we have been best friends since we met in tennis class in 1985. We both went our separate ways after high school for a couple years and then met back up at a Matchbox 20 concert where we discovered we both had degrees in Social Work. We never knew either one was pursuing that field and then we both learned each other were doing medical social work. It was not a surprise to us as we both have shared similar goals and ambitions in life, most importantly, "to make a difference in people's lives". As long as I have known Amy, she has given of herself , her time, her resources and her money. She has held the 'Top Fundraiser' in the Arizona AIDS Walk for so many years, I lost track. She raises money every year for the Crisis Nursery. She has worked beyond her work hours to help patients in the ED at County and also making sure families in the HIV community have money to pay for their meds and most importantly have the essentials to take care of themselves and their children. She has sat on the Board at Aunt Rita's and is very loved by those in the HIV community and the pediatric HIV community. She has worked in the trauma/emergency department at County hospital for over a decade and continues to do so. Her full time job is working with children in the HIV clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital, and does weekend work at County.
Many of you know Amy also felt a strong calling to impact the foster care system in Arizona and took on the role of volunteering at Children's Crisis Nursery where she would later meet her forever child of her own. Amy became a foster parent as a single woman working 2 jobs, sometimes 3! She gave Ella a forever home and now is enjoying being a full time mother on top of it all.
I have sat and watched in awe of Amy over the past 2-3 years but more so since her diagnosis. I have always wondered how she does it all. She has an amazing supportive family who picks up the pieces of her puzzle for her, her sisters and mother wouldn't miss a beat of making sure Amy is taken care of. Her work family and family are so incredibly thankful for that, as many of us are helpless and can't do the driving to and from appointments, the taking care of her at home, taking care of Ella and Vino, making sure Ella gets her homework done, her dinner and put to bed. Her family is making sure that Ella's life stays as 'normal' as possible as her mommy BATTLES cancer! BUT WE CAN HELP, we can give Amy a donation, this time, NOT for HIV, NOT for foster care children, NOT for breast cancer research (although I am quite sure she still highly recommends all this), BUT we can help her NOT have to worry about the piling up bills. Amy has not been able to work her second job for months and possibly not again till end of summer (if all goes according to plans), that has left her with significant decreased income at the same time an increase in medical bills, and everything else that goes along with fighting cancer. So, this is our chance to show Amy how very much she deserves whatever we can give. And if you can't give, please continue to pray for smooth treatment, minimal side effects, no complications, and for Amy to be cured!
Ironically Amy and I chose to do the breast cancer 3 day many years ago, neither of us had known anyone effected but we loved the cause and thought it would be inspiring, which it was. Little did we know how meaningful that memory would become for us! The picture is from our walk, breast cancer free and standing up for raising money for people she didn't even know! Yep, that's Amy in a nut shell!
So in the words of Amy's favorite band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, "Thank you for your time and HERE'S TO LIFE"
My name is Josie, and Amy is my chosen sister, we have been best friends since we met in tennis class in 1985. We both went our separate ways after high school for a couple years and then met back up at a Matchbox 20 concert where we discovered we both had degrees in Social Work. We never knew either one was pursuing that field and then we both learned each other were doing medical social work. It was not a surprise to us as we both have shared similar goals and ambitions in life, most importantly, "to make a difference in people's lives". As long as I have known Amy, she has given of herself , her time, her resources and her money. She has held the 'Top Fundraiser' in the Arizona AIDS Walk for so many years, I lost track. She raises money every year for the Crisis Nursery. She has worked beyond her work hours to help patients in the ED at County and also making sure families in the HIV community have money to pay for their meds and most importantly have the essentials to take care of themselves and their children. She has sat on the Board at Aunt Rita's and is very loved by those in the HIV community and the pediatric HIV community. She has worked in the trauma/emergency department at County hospital for over a decade and continues to do so. Her full time job is working with children in the HIV clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital, and does weekend work at County.
Many of you know Amy also felt a strong calling to impact the foster care system in Arizona and took on the role of volunteering at Children's Crisis Nursery where she would later meet her forever child of her own. Amy became a foster parent as a single woman working 2 jobs, sometimes 3! She gave Ella a forever home and now is enjoying being a full time mother on top of it all.
I have sat and watched in awe of Amy over the past 2-3 years but more so since her diagnosis. I have always wondered how she does it all. She has an amazing supportive family who picks up the pieces of her puzzle for her, her sisters and mother wouldn't miss a beat of making sure Amy is taken care of. Her work family and family are so incredibly thankful for that, as many of us are helpless and can't do the driving to and from appointments, the taking care of her at home, taking care of Ella and Vino, making sure Ella gets her homework done, her dinner and put to bed. Her family is making sure that Ella's life stays as 'normal' as possible as her mommy BATTLES cancer! BUT WE CAN HELP, we can give Amy a donation, this time, NOT for HIV, NOT for foster care children, NOT for breast cancer research (although I am quite sure she still highly recommends all this), BUT we can help her NOT have to worry about the piling up bills. Amy has not been able to work her second job for months and possibly not again till end of summer (if all goes according to plans), that has left her with significant decreased income at the same time an increase in medical bills, and everything else that goes along with fighting cancer. So, this is our chance to show Amy how very much she deserves whatever we can give. And if you can't give, please continue to pray for smooth treatment, minimal side effects, no complications, and for Amy to be cured!
Ironically Amy and I chose to do the breast cancer 3 day many years ago, neither of us had known anyone effected but we loved the cause and thought it would be inspiring, which it was. Little did we know how meaningful that memory would become for us! The picture is from our walk, breast cancer free and standing up for raising money for people she didn't even know! Yep, that's Amy in a nut shell!
So in the words of Amy's favorite band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, "Thank you for your time and HERE'S TO LIFE"
Organizer and beneficiary
Josie Cote White
Organizer
Scottsdale, AZ
Amy Edmonds
Beneficiary