DC and Friends of Jaclyn

We could not have asked for a prettier weekend for March 7th and 8th! The temperatures were in the 70's as we walked around DC, saw the sights and enjoyed each other's company. We visited many places that meant different things to the three of us such as the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and of course, even took a look through the fence at the White House. All of these things were just amazing to Chase, a place he has wanted to visit for many years. However, as you can see by the look on Chase's face, the White House just wasn't ready for him yet. Drats!

Buddy and Chase with Lincoln; Judith and Chase at the Korean Memorial; Chase at the Vietnam Memorial; Buddy and Chase in front of the Capitol and others.

Now on to the real reason for the trip, the Friends of Jaclyn Gala Banquet.

The banquet was in honor the the kids and their families that the foundation supports. The kids either have or have had brain tumors. The foundation matches each child up with an athletic team from a University or High Schools in their area. In return, the child gets 20-30 new "brothers or sisters" to help them cope with the illness that they are going through. The team supports them by doing a variety of different things, sending cards, phone calls, allowing them to attend games, being an honoree for the team and much more. This goes on for a long, long time, not just a quick visit, but rather as long as the team and the child choose to stay together. Chase and his baseball team, the UNC Tarheels have adopted a child, James Neubauer, through FOJ and are very happy to have the opportunity to reach out to this family. Coach Fox sent Chase to this fabulous event to do his speaking engagement as a way to represent UNC even though they were in a big series against Clemson that weekend. Denis Murphy was proud to have Chase be a speaker because Chase is a brain tumor survivor, a Division I Collegiate Athlete and is now supporting such a wonderful cause. The Murphy Family will forever be in our hearts for what they are doing for other families with kids battling brain tumors.

Below are a few pictures from the evening. The beautiful young lady in the picture with Chase, Buddy and me is Jaclyn Murhpy. What a terrific young lady!What a special evening, one that I will not forget for a long time. I am a proud mother of a son who continues to impress me with his strength and courage. His commitment to do whatever he can to help raise awareness of Pediatric Cancer is truly amazing. Even while taking a full load of classes at Carolina and playing baseball, he finds the time to do many things for others that reach beyond my own small mind's ability to grasp, "how does this kid do it all?" But I love him for it and I know that God has put him on this earth for a special reason; to help others to cope with the dreadful disease called, cancer.

Our thanks to all that attended that evening and supported the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Denis Murphy, you are a wonderful man doing such phenomenal things for children all over the country. To the the rest of the Murphy family, Linda, Taryn and Jaclyn, I was delighted to meet you that evening and hope that our friendship will continue. To Sarah Walsh, Denis' right hand "woman", the event was beautiful and I know you are already planning for the next one. May God bless all of you.
Judith~mother of Chase