Cancer Awareness: Family Talks About Importance of Early Screenings & Memorial Poker Run

One person really can make a difference. Joyce Harrison is a great example. Joyce died in 2007 with breast cancer. She hadn't been screened.

Since then, her family and the people of Tybee Island get together each year to raise money and awareness in hopes that what happened to Joyce doesn't happen to others.

"This is me with my Granny,” 5-year old Emma Osborne talks about pictures in her scrapbook.

5-year old Emma Osborne flips through a special scrapbook she made with her mother, Nikki, all to remember her Granny, Joyce, who passed away 2 1/2 years ago.

"She was always ready and willing to help anybody, any time somebody needed something, she was the first one there to give you know whatever was needed," Joyce’s husband, Craig Harrison describes her.

That's one of the many reasons friends and neighbors on Tybee Island are helping others in Joyce's memory, raising awareness about the importance of early cancer screenings, with a poker run.

"The people here on Tybee, our friends have been, I can't even put it into words. They've just been there for every step of the way and right away we came up together with this idea of forming something to help people and they've all put their heart and their soul into it,” says Craig.

"I think the coolest thing is that the poker run, the money goes to people who don't fit in the bracket of people who don't normally get screened. Normally, you can't get screened until after 40, but this money is going to go to people to get screened much earlier than that," says Nikki Osborne, Joyce’s daughter.

"There's nothing more important than your life and to those people that are close to you and you shouldn't put anything in front of that, not money, not time, not your job, not anything. You should do whatever you need to do, whatever you can do that are ready to help,” Craig urges.

The Joyce Harrison Memorial Poker Run (with bicycles) will be held this Sunday on Tybee Island.
Registration is from noon-2 at Doc’s Bar. Cards will be drawn at Sting Ray’s, AJ’s Dockside, The Quarter and the last card will be drawn at Huc-a-Poos. There will be an oyster roast and live music, Nickel Bag of Funk at 5:30 at Huc-a-Poos. If you can’t participate in the poker run, join in the oyster roast for $10 per person.

The cost is $25 per participant. If you don’t have a bike, don’t worry, you can rent one at Fat Tire Bikes on Tybee Island (912-786-0413)

All of the money raised will fund mammograms at the Anderson Cancer Institute.

For more on Anderson Cancer Institute and how the donated money is making a difference, click here.

For more information about the Joyce Harrison Memorial Poker Run, click here for the facebook page.

Click here for the website.