Stepping up for
Blood Cancer

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I said yes to becoming a Visionary of the Year candidate for many reasons. Mainly, in memory of my Aunt Susan, lovingly known in our family as “Old Shoe.”

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Her nickname started as a childhood mispronunciation and somehow stuck, but so did everything else about her. She was steady, strong, joyful, and full of love. She made ordinary moments feel special and always showed up for the people she cared about. Everything in my life today traces back to her.

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She introduced my parents to each other. Because of her, I exist. And, thanks to her, they have been happily married for 36 years.

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The timing of her passing was especially heartbreaking. She was placed in hospice care just a few days after her son’s wedding, my cousin Josh’s wedding, and passed away about a week later. Because of that, Josh and Rachael never truly got their wedding photos. Sometime after, Rachael decided to buy a new wedding dress and take new photos. That moment, one small decision in the middle of grief, unknowingly set the course for the rest of my life, and I am now a franchise owner of that bridal shop.

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After that appointment, many conversations followed about what I wanted to do in life, and soon the opportunity presented itself. I became an intern at that very shop the following year. I had no idea what it would lead to. This world of lace, love, and brides became my passion, my purpose, and my career. It has grown into everything I have today.

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Years later, as I was opening my very first bridal shop, Old Shoe’s best friend reached out and shared that Susan, my aunt, had always dreamed of owning her own bridal shop.  In the most beautiful way, she passed that dream on to me.

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This campaign is my way of honoring her legacy. It is about turning loss into purpose and love into action. I am fundraising to support research and initiatives for blood cancers so other families do not have to experience the same heartbreak.

Every donation is more than a gift. It is a step forward. A step toward hope. A step toward a cure. And a step taken in her honor.