Fight for Jen

When Jennifer Cary had health complications and later learned she had cancer, her friends quickly came to her side to help raise money for her current and upcoming medical bills.

Their latest attempt to help their friend is titled Cancer FREE Cary - Fight for Jen, and it is starting with an upcoming softball tournament fundraiser next month.

“We decided that, to start, this would be our first fundraiser. We may do more, but for sure, this was the first one we wanted to do,” one of the event organizers and longtime friend of Cary’s, Toni Lesley said. “I just know that the medical bills are mounting and on top of that, she's not been working.”

Cary, who grew up in Cordell and owns Bean & Ladle, was diagnosed with stage three cancer at the end of May earlier this year.

On top of her diagnosis, Cary also faced some other health issues and has yet to begin her chemotherapy treatment.

“I'm doing two different types of chemo twice a month. My timeframe is six months to a year with chemo,” Cary said. “I have to pay $4,000 to even start chemo.”

Cary is scheduled to get surgery to have her port plate implanted on August 3 to receive her treatments.

Following her chemotherapy, Cary was told by doctors that she “would basically have no immune system” thus making leaving her home a difficulty going forward.

“I have home health coming like twice a week, and she told me today to not leave my house without a mask,” Cary said.

The upcoming softball tournament fundraiser will take place Saturday, August 7, and will be $200 to register per team. There is also an extra home run band and home run derby that is $10 per person.

Additionally, a bank fund has been set up for Cary as well as a fundraiser selling t-shirts with #FightForJen on them. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be going directly to Cary.

As of now, there are six teams set up for the tournament, and Lesley, along with other friends of Cary’s, are currently working to try and get help with concessions as well as any other help they might need for the tournament.

“If there's anybody that wants to help at all in any kind of way, like if they can't donate, they don't want to play, whatever, but they want to help serve or come out, we'll need umpires, we'll need people to help in the concession stands, we'll just need all kinds of things,” Lesley said. “We're accepting all kinds of help.”

For those that would like to participate in the tournament, you can contact Kim Silman at 512-417-9773 to get signed up. The final day to do so is August 5.

If you’re unable to donate or don’t want to participate in the tournament, you can volunteer to work the event by contacting Lesley at 580-530-2377.

If you’d simply like to donate funds to Cary, you can do so by either visiting her gofundme fundraiser Jenn Cary (Cancer Sucks), drop off money or mail checks to FBO Jennifer Cary, High Plains Bank, PO Box 218, Cordell, OK 73632, or by purchasing one of these t-shirts.

Cary’s friends, such as Lesley, describe her as someone to put everybody else’s needs before her own.

“Jennifer is the type of person who wants to help and help everybody. And so I just feel like we can all help her,” Lesley said. “That's why we decided it was time for somebody to step up and help them.”

Throughout all of this, Cary has her husband Steve, and her two daughters Aubreigh and Averie by her side as well as her church and friends to help her stay positive through it all.

“I want to say thank you to everybody who's donated. Because a lot of them have donated anonymously,” Cary said. “So I just can't really send thank you cards for everybody who's bought food or sent me flowers or plants or something like that. Like every week I get something.”