Leslie Hamrick May

11/19/1974 — 05/18/2011

Leslie battled melanoma for 13 years. She was an active member of the American Cancer Society Board and a strong supporter of the Relay for Life. She volunteered tirelessly in her community to educate others, including up and coming doctors, about her disease. She was a supporter of Hope Lodge, a respite in Cleveland, Ohio, for cancer patients and their family needing housing and comfort during their treatments.  Leslie participated in several clinical trials and endured much to help possibly find a cure or at least a treatment for this dreaded disease.  She never gave up HOPE, and as she was being put to sleep for brain surgery she told the anesthesiologist to hurry up and get this surgery over and get her back awake, she had Relay for Life that night.  I think she seriously thought she would be able to go in a wheelchair to Relay.

She was a wonderful, wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, and a friend to all she met.  All who met her were drawn to her.  Leslie helped several friends who she encouraged to get their moles checked, which later proved to be melanoma.  She was very active in her daughter’s life and school activities, and her daughter’s classmates loved her because she always made special homemade treats for them.  She never forgot your birthday and always made you feel special.  She always made gifts for all the survivors at Relay and would enlist our help with these projects and didn’t mind telling you if you weren’t doing them to her high standards.  She had the utmost respect for all cancer survivors.

Her greatest fear was that her daughter would forget her.  We assured her that none of us would EVER forget her. Our lives have a big hole in them since she has passed, and we will NEVER, EVER forget her and hope to see her again someday in Heaven.  Love and miss you, Sweetheart.

Laura Browning, aunt