Joe was born in Silver City, New Mexico, on April 15, 1947, and grew up on a cattle ranch in Bayard, a town about 10 miles south of Silver City. While attending New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, Joe was a disc jockey at a radio station in El Paso. He had one of those voices, an ability to talk about anything with anybody, and a love of music all his life. After graduation, he ended up in Las Vegas and after stints on the radio there, his quick wit and sense of humor landed him a position as producer, director and star of the Bozo the Clown show. The stories of those days in Las Vegas were hilarious although Joe downplayed that part of his life as he grew older and more serious about his career. He ultimately moved to Los Angeles and held a number of positions in the advertising industry
and Golden West-owned KHJ radio station, before launching his own marketing and video production business. Joe was fun and he saw the humor in every aspect of life. Every nurse and doctor who interacted with him during his very brief illness talked about how he made them laugh, even at the moment they prepared to insert the intubation tube. His last words were “I love you” to me.

Dear Family and Friends,
Soon after Joe died from acute myeloid leukemia in October 2023, we were struggling from the shock of his unexpected death when a letter arrived from my darling neighbor, Addyson Yi. Inside the envelope was a poem titled, “Neighborly Joe, an elegy to my neighbor Joe.” The illustrated poem is below, but here is an excerpt:
In the quiet of our street, where Joe’s laughter once echoed,
He was a neighbor whose kindness always followed.
With a smile that melted one’s heart,
Everyone felt welcomed from the start.

Addyson was 13 years old when she wrote this beautiful message, which touched me deeply. As she and I have become better acquainted since Joe’s death, I have been struck by her maturity and dedication to public service. In middle school, Addyson completed 436 hours of community service. Now in high school, she is continuing her commitment to philanthropic projects, and she has enlisted me to be on her team of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year campaign.

The campaign mission is to raise money to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
  
LLS is the largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancers. Every dollar raised helps advance initiatives like enacting policies that address the serious burdens of these diseases. Through their Office of Public Policy and network of more than 35,000 volunteers nationwide, LLS advocates in Washington for laws and policies that accelerate the development of new treatments for cancer and break down the barriers to care that patients often encounter, including advancing oral parity laws, ending surprise medical bills, and limiting patients’ out-of-pocket drug costs. 

I am honored to join Addyson in this effort and am reaching out to you, hoping you will consider making a tax-deductible donation to LLS in Joe’s memory.
Thank you for taking time to read this letter and for considering a donation. Addyson and I will be most grateful for any amount you can give.

Warmest regards,

Helen

Hello! This year, I’m proud to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign, working to raise as much as possible for LLS’s mission. Student Visionaries of the Year raises money and help support the LLS mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I have created a team of committed friends and family to partner with me on this journey. Together, we have set a fundraising goal of $50,000, and have chosen advocacy as the LLS mission pillar to represent throughout our campaign.

I am running as a Student Visionary of the Year because I want to help advocate and spread awareness for blood cancer. My neighbor, whom I am close with, lost her husband to leukemia in October of last year. So it's important for me to raise awareness and push for more research that can lead to better treatments or a cure. I want to dedicate my campaign not only to her and her husband, but to all the families whose lives have been affected by cancer.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was built on that same vision - of a better world - one without blood cancers.

I am a visionary; I have a vision for a world without cancer, but I need your help.

As a global leader in the fight against blood cancer, LLS:

• Funds cutting-edge research leading to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine that are improving and saving the lives of patients
• Provides free education and support for blood cancer patients and families, including personalized, one-on-one support, assistance with identifying and enrolling in clinical trials, and more.
• Mobilizes thousands of advocates to drive policy changes that accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and break down barriers to care.

Please consider joining this fight by making a donation. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax-deductible. Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

Thanks to your support, my efforts will help ensure this generation is the last to see cancer.

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you!

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.