The Jones'n for a Cure Tournament At Haggin Oaks

Rick Jones was first diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in early 2013. True to form, this didn’t stop him from doing the things that he loved. The same year he was diagnosed, he and his family and friends went on an Alaska Cruise weeks before the brain surgery to biopsy his tumor. When the biopsy came back, it was a rollercoaster of diagnoses. With the first diagnosis saying he only had 18 months and the next one saying he had 7 to 17 years. Being only 32 at the time, he was advised to hit it and hit it hard. So he went into radiation and took chemotherapy for the next year. Rick was an amazing man, and through all of the treatments, he still worked full time and didn’t really share his diagnosis with everyone as he never wanted to be seen as anything less than the man he was. His wife, Christy, asked him what was on his bucket list and he said he really just wanted to make it to the British Open. So together, they planned a two week vacation for 2014 (even during the chemo treatment), and visited England, France, Ireland, and Scotland. They played golf at the K Club and many of the famous Scotland courses.

The treatments started working and Rick went into remission at the end of 2014, but he and his wife knew that it was only a matter of time before the tumor started growing again and they knew it would grow more aggressively the next time. With that in mind, they took time to play more golf at any course that Rick had ever thought about, camp and hike, road trip, and even one more cruise, this time to the Mediterranean!

At the beginning of 2017, after one of his 6 month check ins, Rick and Christy were told that the tumor had started growing again and the chemotherapy was going to be rougher this time around. After only two months, it became apparent that the chemo wasn’t working, and they went through multiple other treatments. Those treatments still didn’t stop Rick and Christy from hitting up the British Open one more time in July at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England. In August they went on their last trip together as an RV trip to Wyoming to see the total eclipse. At that point they realized that there was no stopping this brain tumor. By that point, Rick had lost all movement in his left arm, and while he couldn’t play golf anymore, he could still enjoy it on TV and they would put it on every weekend. Eventually the tumor took away Rick’s ability to stand on his own and even speak. He still enjoyed visits from his family and friends before he finally passed on November 4, 2017. Rick was one of those special people who you don’t get to meet very often, always willing to share a joke, always ready to hang out for some golf or a beer, and never willing to give up the hope that things would always get better. He is missed by his family and so many friends.

About Jones’n For A Cure

Jones’n for a Cure is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity (EIN No. 82-5189128) created by Rick’s wife Christy and a few of his close friends to honor his memory. A golf tournament is a great way for us to turn something bad into hopefully something good for others. Rick and Christy always believed that there had to be a way to help other people not go through the same thing they went through. To date, we’ve donated over $100,000 to the National Brain Tumor Society in support of our shared mission.

Along the way we’ve also met so many others who have been impacted by brain tumors and hope our fundraising can help them in their journey.

The entire planning committee looks forward to a great day of golf, raising money for a great cause, and building on our previous success!

^{Copy & Photos From Jones’n for a Cure Website}

The Jones’n for a Cure Board of Directors (L to R, Mike Konieczki, Virginia Rynk, Kathleen Ward, Christy Jones, Tyler Hatch, Katie Hatch, Chuck Vertucci, and Rich Eisen)

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