Ed and Tracie were together and inseparable for 40 years, until Tracie passed away March 14, 2022, just a few months shy of 59. She had colon cancer.
Ed and Tracie Reed had a great love story. The couple met in high school – she was a freshman and he was a senior. They were friends at first but Ed admits – ‘there was always something about her that I just adored. When they graduated, they each moved on – Ed to Alaska and Tracie to Paris. But she was always on his mind, so when he went on vacation in Hawaii, he invited her to join him as friends. She agreed. She agreed. Their first date was in Maui and lasted 18 days. They were together after that and inseparable for 40 years (married for 33 years), until Tracie passed away March 14, 2022, just a few months shy of 59. She had colon cancer.
Great love stories live on and Tracie and Ed’s sure has. While deeply grieving the loss of his wife, Ed started to ask for donations to be sent to Lazarex Cancer Foundation in her honor. Tracie was a VIP – very important patient – with Lazarex for two years beginning in 2020. She reached out for help with travel reimbursement when costs of getting from her home in Sacramento to her clinical trial site at USC started adding up quickly.
“Lazarex was so wonderful to us. Tracie went through a lot of trials and they are what helped extend her life. They gave us extra time with her, and we are so grateful. We didn’t waste a minute. By the last week of her cancer journey, we were traveling every week from Sacramento to Los Angeles and there were a lot of travel expenses. Lazarex helped us so much with our journey, that when Tracie passed away, I went on a campaign to get people to donate to help others with their cancer journeys in her memory,” Ed explains.
So far Ed and his three adult children have raised more than $18,000 for Lazarex in Tracie’s memory. His daughter asked for donations at her wedding in lieu of gifts. His two sons have actively encouraged people to give too. When his youngest son administered CPR to help a stranger in distress in Seattle, the man asked to pay him for his efforts. “No – give the money to Lazarex instead,’ Ed says his son responded. And the stranger did.
“My children and I have raised the money but really this is all about Tracie,” Ed explains. “She’s the one who inspires people to give. My wife was so special, and she is still present in our lives. We feel her with us. Our fundraising efforts continue because it’s truly one of the best ways we can honor her, remember her, and keep her memory alive for others.”
If you would like to contribute to Lazarex in Tracie’s memory, donate here and select “add a dedication.“
If you or someone you know needs help with finding a cancer clinical trial, or assistance with the costs to travel to clinical trial treatments, contact Lazarex Cancer Foundation.
Learn more about colon and rectal cancers here.
