Howard Gibson, Pat Puente, Chris Puente, Caitlin Puente and Paul Schmidt at the 2011 (1st Annual) Fish for the Cure event. Over $9,000.00 raised and over $2,000 in prizes given out!
Fish for the Cure
On October 27th 2009, our dad cut his face shaving and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. His doctor sent him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with cancer. Seven days later, on November 3rd 2009, our dad, Bob Puente, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 59 from Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a cancer that causes a spontaneous mutation that makes blood stop clotting and renders the immune system inefficient. Cancer is something that touches everyone. It is nondiscriminatory. It does not care how healthy you’ve eaten, how good you’ve been, or even if you’re an innocent child.
There are few people in this world who have the means to make a huge financial contribution to the fight, but with a little bit from everyone we can make a big difference. What happened to my family was a huge shock and now we want to do something to honor my father as well as take part in helping a bigger cause.
My dad was a police officer and an avid outdoorsmen, who loved fishing and being with his family. I wanted to do something that would honor the memories of him and his love of teaching us and bringing us out on the lake fishing. This is why I am in the beginning stages of starting an annual fishing tournament and fair event planned for June 18th, 2011 with proceeds being donated to the American Cancer Society (ACS). There will be prizes raffled off, a 50/50, free games for the children, and picnic style lunches. The process of setting up this event is proving to be therapeutic and fulfilling to our family. We hope by donating the proceeds to the ACS we can help other families who are struggling through a battle with cancer and fund research to help eradicate the threat of cancer in the future, so someone else may not have to go through the shock and loss that we did.
The details that have been finalized are that it will be at Lee’s Park Marina in Mount Arlington, NJ (five minutes drive off exit 30 on route 80) on Saturday June 18th, 2011 (the first weekend that fishing re-opens for the season in NJ) and that Ramsey Outdoor Store will be donating prizes for the raffle.
If anyone would like to donate time, funds, or prizes to be raffled off that would be greatly appreciated feel free to refer this blog to anyone who may be interested or email me at CaitlinPuente@me.com
Thank you for reading and getting involved, its appreciated more than you know.
