Dear Family and Friends,

As you know, my dear brother Joey passed away on February 7, 2018, at the age of 68. He suffered from pulmonary sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a rare, often chronic inflammatory disorder that causes the formation of granulomas, or clumps of inflammatory cells. This can occur in almost any organ in the body, most commonly affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, skin and eyes. There is currently no known cure for this disease and treatment options are limited and often ineffective.

Joey was a kindhearted, compassionate, giving and loving soul. If you needed anything, you only had to ask Joe once, and it was done. Most of the time, you didn't even need to ask; he just knew. He had this innate ability to help people in need and his generosity knew no bounds.

Joey never took himself too seriously and had an amazing sense of humor. He loved entertaining us with (true) funny stories from his life and enjoyed making people laugh. Funny people have nicknames and Joe had many. One of his nicknames was Don Bon Joey. I think he would be pleased to know I've created Team Don Bon Joey in his honor.

I have chosen to support the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) by fundraising for KISS.

KISS stands for Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis, and that’s what you'll be doing by supporting my page. FSR is the leading nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for this disease and improving care and treatment options for sarcoidosis patients. The funds all go directly to FSR and their programs for improving patient education, supporting patients and their caretakers, and of course, funding research to find better treatment options and one day, a cure.

Please consider helping me reach my goal. Together, we can stop Sarcoidosis!