Napa Valley Marathon,Half Marathon, and 5K
Purple Jay Birds
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Welcome to the Purple Jay Birds’ fundraising page. Our mom, Joanne (Jay) Gast, will be celebrating her second birthday in heaven on March 04, 2024. In celebration of our mom and to honor her fight against cancer, we as sisters have decided to run the Napa Valley Half Marathon on March 03, 2024 and raise money for the American Cancer Society. Cancer has sadly taken the heart and soul of our family, and has caused us so much grief and sadness. Fundraising money for cancer is one meaningful way we feel like we can help solve the mystery of cancer, find ways to heal those affected by this illness, and hopefully prevent others from having to suffer a loss too early. Our Story Our mother was the heart and soul of our family, our loudest cheerleader, our best friend. Our mom had the most beautiful smile, a laugh you can hear a mile away, and a huge giving heart. She was a woman who loved to celebrate life! December 2021, our mom was diagnosed with Stage 3B carcino sarcoma uterine cancer. Less than 2 months of finding out of this terminal diagnosis, Kat (eldest sister) welcomed a baby girl, Kalani Jay, who gave our mother the gift of becoming a grandmother. 3 weeks before our mother passed, Kathrina (middle sister) welcomed a baby boy, Samuel Edward, who gave our mother another gift of becoming a grandmother. Being a grandmother was her most favorite and meaningful role in her life. It breaks our heart daily to become mothers the year we lost our mother and that our children do not get the opportunity to experience her unconditional and endless love. Throughout this last year, we knew we wanted to do something to honor our mom. As we brainstormed ways to remember her, we couldn't help but reflect on how our mother fought cancer. Throughout the journey, secretly she was in pain and suffering, yet she remained strong, happy, active, adventurous, loving and surrounded by friends and family. She did not let cancer stop her from living life to the fullest! When we run this half marathon, we hope to embody her fighting spirit - like our mom, may we find the strength to overcome the pain, and find the joy in our ability to be active and supported by our loved ones. The last year and a half, has been the most difficult year for our family, but may running this race for a bigger purpose surrounded by many in one of our mom's favorite places, bring us closer to peace and acceptance and be a birthday celebration for our mom. Happy 59th birthday mom! Why the Purple Jay Birds? Purple Jay Birds felt the most fitting name to represent our team of sisters (Kathleen, Kathrina & Kristal) and our mother. Simply, purple was our mother's favorite color and Jay was our mother's birth name. When brainstorming names, we gained inspiration from the word "blue jay" which has many symbolic meanings including resilience, fortitude, strength and a bearer of good news. Also, the word "bird" was one of the first words our mother taught her granddaughter (aka her mini me). Lastly, we hope that our mom flies high and is soaring above us and watching over us.
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![[[?[[S80:Affiliate]]::RFL_::Full Donor List::[[?[[S80:Affiliate]]::MSABC_::Message from your Team Leader::Message from Your Team Captain]]]]](../images/friendraiser/bullet_popup.gif)
[[?[[S80:Affiliate]]::RFL_::Full Donor List::[[?[[S80:Affiliate]]::MSABC_::Message from your Team Leader::Message from Your Team Captain]]]]
Purple Jay Birds
Team Captain(s)
Ranking
1 out of 2 teams
Donate to Purple Jay Birds
Help the American Cancer Society fund cancer research, patient support, and advocacy efforts to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
$3,174.85 raised of $2250 goal
How much would you like to donate?
Welcome to the Purple Jay Birds’ fundraising page. Our mom, Joanne (Jay) Gast, will be celebrating her second birthday in heaven on March 04, 2024. In celebration of our mom and to honor her fight against cancer, we as sisters have decided to run the Napa Valley Half Marathon on March 03, 2024 and raise money for the American Cancer Society. Cancer has sadly taken the heart and soul of our family, and has caused us so much grief and sadness. Fundraising money for cancer is one meaningful way we feel like we can help solve the mystery of cancer, find ways to heal those affected by this illness, and hopefully prevent others from having to suffer a loss too early.
Our Story
Our mother was the heart and soul of our family, our loudest cheerleader, our best friend. Our mom had the most beautiful smile, a laugh you can hear a mile away, and a huge giving heart. She was a woman who loved to celebrate life! December 2021, our mom was diagnosed with Stage 3B carcino sarcoma uterine cancer. Less than 2 months of finding out of this terminal diagnosis, Kat (eldest sister) welcomed a baby girl, Kalani Jay, who gave our mother the gift of becoming a grandmother. 3 weeks before our mother passed, Kathrina (middle sister) welcomed a baby boy, Samuel Edward, who gave our mother another gift of becoming a grandmother. Being a grandmother was her most favorite and meaningful role in her life. It breaks our heart daily to become mothers the year we lost our mother and that our children do not get the opportunity to experience her unconditional and endless love.
Throughout this last year, we knew we wanted to do something to honor our mom. As we brainstormed ways to remember her, we couldn't help but reflect on how our mother fought cancer. Throughout the journey, secretly she was in pain and suffering, yet she remained strong, happy, active, adventurous, loving and surrounded by friends and family. She did not let cancer stop her from living life to the fullest! When we run this half marathon, we hope to embody her fighting spirit - like our mom, may we find the strength to overcome the pain, and find the joy in our ability to be active and supported by our loved ones.
The last year and a half, has been the most difficult year for our family, but may running this race for a bigger purpose surrounded by many in one of our mom's favorite places, bring us closer to peace and acceptance and be a birthday celebration for our mom. Happy 59th birthday mom!
Why the Purple Jay Birds?
Purple Jay Birds felt the most fitting name to represent our team of sisters (Kathleen, Kathrina & Kristal) and our mother. Simply, purple was our mother's favorite color and Jay was our mother's birth name. When brainstorming names, we gained inspiration from the word "blue jay" which has many symbolic meanings including resilience, fortitude, strength and a bearer of good news. Also, the word "bird" was one of the first words our mother taught her granddaughter (aka her mini me). Lastly, we hope that our mom flies high and is soaring above us and watching over us.
