Walk held in memory of Rice
COSHOCTON – Stephanie Rice was a bubbly, positive young woman who passed away on Dec. 10, 2012 from aplastic anemia.
“Even in the hospital, she was very upbeat and positive,” said Joelle Milligan. “She never let you see it bothered her.”
Milligan was one of five close friends of Stephanie and organizer of Steph’s Avengers: Hope, Steps & A Cure Walk at Lake Park on Saturday, Aug. 22. This was the first year for the walk and approximately 50 people came out to support Stephanie’s friends and family.
Aplastic anemia is when the bone marrow fails and the only cure is a bone marrow transplant. The money raised from this run went to fund research for a cure and to support people who are affected by the disease.
“My favorite part about Stephanie was her laugh,” said Kace Hutchison, a friend of Stephanie.
Susan Rice, Stephanie’s mother, was also at the event. She remembers Stephanie as a person who loved to spend time with friends, listen to music, and race 4-wheelers. She said her passion was music and she had been accepted into the Musician Institute in Los Angeles, California to be a musical engineer.
She was thankful of the 5k that Stephanie’s friends had planned in her memory.
“It shows the support system around her,” she said. “They were always together, and they were a very close-knit group of friends. There are very few pictures where they’re not all together.”
beth@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
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