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Tori was our wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, niece, and friend. It was a blessing to receive the love she gave away so freely. We have started this nonprofit to continue her legacy and honor her kindness, compassion, and resilience. Our goal is to aid those who intend to help others within the medical and adjacent fields, especially those impacted by medical challenges themselves. Currently, we do this by providing annual scholarships to Birch Run High School students that embody the spirit of this foundation and therefore, Tori.

As a young girl, Tori had a large benign tumor called a lipoblastoma within her pelvis, wrapped around her sciatic nerve causing difficulty walking. It was removed surgically and she lived a fantastic life afterwards. In 2016, her tumor returned. It was large and more elusive to treatments this time. Multiple complex surgeries, procedures, radiation, appointments, physical challenges, and pain followed over the next 6 years. In May of 2022, the tumor had mutated into a liposarcoma. Cancer. It quickly spread throughout her abdomen and eventually caused her organs to fail. 

Despite the challenges leading up to her cancer diagnosis, Tori continued to pursue a career in medicine. She worked as a clinical assistant and was accepted into a Physician Assistant (PA) program, slotted to start in the fall of 2022. Tori was passionate about listening to her patients, never wanting them to feel dismissed the way she often did. Tori tragically passed away in December of 2022 before she was able to become a PA. 

Thank you for taking the time to learn about Tori and our mission. We look forward to seeing you at our next event!