Celebrating Charlee

Her headstone is very close to my Mom's

Char and I after the concert

Char, Jennie (the one who put it all together), me and Lui (take special note of the shirt Jennie is wearing...her "nine" shirt)



About 3 years ago my 17 year old cousin Charlee died of a very rare form of cancer. Not only did she go on with her life after finding out, she embraced the disease and continued to laugh and play golf and the piano...even after her index finger (where the cancer started) was amputated. So you can get a better picture of this girl, she nicknamed herself "nine." You know that song, "Aint nothing gonna slow me down, oh no! I've got to keep a movin." If she had a theme song, that would be it. She was an inspiration to many--not only family members, but kids at school, church members and the community of Gilbert where her family lives. Well, there's a freshman at Gilbert High that wanted to honor Charlee, and her name is Jennie Lewis. Kent and Char (Charlee's parents) gave a few treasured items of Charlee's to Jennie. A few of these items were Charlee's bike and another was a pair of golf shoes. Well, Jennie was very inspired by Charlee. When she was on the course and maybe having a rough round of golf, she could feel Charlee was there with her, cheering her on. So she wanted to do something for Charlee. With the help of her parents, she came up with the idea of creating a scholarship fund in Charlee's name that would be awarded to students at the high school. This past weekend they hosted a wonderful benefit concert at the high school in order to raise donations. Jennie's goal was to raise $10,000.00 and she by far surpassed that. After the concert she found out she raised over $22,000.00!!! The night was filled with music, the Spirit, and a love for this young girl who touched so many lives in her short life. Charlee's mom has a quote on her living room wall that says, "It's not the years in your life, it's the life in your years." Charlee definitely proved that.