.

 I don't even know how long I've known Keri. At least a decade now. I met her at a bike race too but it wasn't as a racer--I haven't been on a bicycle (a beach cruiser even, never a racing bike!) since before I met Keri!--but as an organizer of the then-called Dade Battle of Brilliance in Dade City. I worked for the jewelry store that sponsored the race and Keri was officiating. She was pretty intense that day, working hard keeping racers in line and making sure everything was going well. She knew what she was doing and she did it well. I was a really impressed and a little intimidated!

When I later got a chance to know Keri on a personal level, I found one of the most warm, giving, and loving women I've ever had the honor to know. She is hysterically funny. Keri's sharp wit is one of the things I love most about her--you know it won't be long before you're laughing when you're with her and her take on the world is pretty hilarious. Keri is also unfailingly honest. What you see is what you get with her and that is so refreshing in this PC world.

She is also incredibly compassionate, helping me through some very rough times such as a miscarriage I had several years ago. She didn't give me platitudes like, "oh it's probably for the best" or "at least you have other children," she just let me be sad and angry and she hugged me and told me I'd be ok. She was right.

One of the things I love most about Keri is all that we have in common. Both of us are children of the 80's. I'm sure we have pictures from high school that are nearly the same--big hair and all. So when I want to go see Rick Springfield or Duran Duran who do I turn to first? Keri, of course. My husband will go with me but Keri will scream like a teenager and jump up and down if we get to touch our Rick's hand! She's fun like that.

Because she's funny and compassionate and fun, when I heard about Keri's cancer, I was devastated. Not Keri. Not the woman who is SO full of life. Not the mother who loves her Eric as passionately as I love my four kids. Not the woman who is so in love with Bill that you can feel it when they look at each other. Not the woman who will hold my hand when I'm sad or send me a quick email just to say she's thinking of me because she's thoughtful like that.

When I learned that she did not have insurance to cover the treatment and did not have the thousands of dollars in cash to pay for it and that made me angry. NO ONE should have to suffer because there's not enough money for treatment and all the expenses that go along with it, especially our Keri. That's just not going to happen.

So, I got to thinking of what I could do and eventually hooked up with the previous poster, Michael Ploch, whom I've never met but we are bonded through Keri. This blog, the fundraising, the t-shirt...this is what we've come up with to try to help Keri.

We want to raise AT LEAST $20,000 to cover treatment, travel expenses and any other thing that Keri needs to make her life easier so that she can concentrate on FIGHTING!! I didn't mention above that Keri is a fighter but that is probably one of her most important qualities. She doesn't give up, she doesn't feel sorry for herself, she just moves forward taking each day, each blessing, each heartache as they come. She will win, I am sure of it, but now she needs our help--money if you have it, prayers most certainly.

She will win because she has to--for all of us.

Jill

Ps. In order to keep this blog going with fresh content, Michael and I would like anyone who has their own Keri story that you would like for us to post, please submit it to Michael so we can try to work it in, please include any pictures that will help paint the picture. Submit your story via e-mail using this link.