Cancer patient’s donation aids local nonprofit
$10,000 donation in honory of Laura Moreno of Vacaville to help Pink Lemonade better support clients with cancer
Vibrant and fun and full of laughter, Laura Moreno lost her cancer battle earlier this year.
But the Vacaville woman’s memory lives on in a generous donation made in her name to a local nonprofit, which will be able to better serve clients battling the same disease.
“I first met Laura and Joe Moreno years ago working out at CrossFit Vacaville. They have always been the most upbeat, positive and encouraging people I’ve known,” said Jason Quintero with Pink Lemonade, a Vacaville-based nonprofit that serves cancer patients and their families. “Laura’s passing was a complete shock to me, but it wasn’t a shock to know Laura wanted people to donate to Pink Lemonade in her memory.
“Laura’s legacy lives on through Pink Lemonade because now we can afford to serve even more clients battling cancer. I’d love for our community to know how important the Moreno family donation is to Pink Lemonade and how many people are being served and blessed with their gift.”
As per her wish, the Moreno family donated $10,000 to Pink Lemonade.
Laura, said her husband, Joe, was a generous woman. Despite her sickness, she was free with her laughter and free with her love. She was irreverent, spoke her mind and just loved life. Which is likely why they were together for 13 years, married for eight.
She was from Richmond and he, from Manteca. They met at a birthday party and then connected again online through the dating site eHarmony. Soon after, romance bloomed.
They were both in corrections, she as a counselor and he as a parole officer. They were each other’s rock, though Joe described Laura as, simply, tough.
“She didn’t take no (stuff),” he said, adding that she grew up with five brothers and knew how to deal with anything that came her way.
In 2014, as they were getting ready to go to a party for their oldest son (they have two), Joe noticed an indentation in his wife’s breast. She told him not to worry. Later, a biopsy would show she had cancer.
“She decided to have a double mastectomy because she didn’t know if it was gonna spread,” Joe recalled.
She ate healthier, had myriad medical treatments. But four years later a lump was detected and she had a lumpectomy.
Last year, to celebrate their anniversary, the couple took a trip to Maui. Laura complained of tailbone pain. A trip to the doctor revealed abnormalities in her bloodwork, an issue with her liver enzymes. She was hospitalized for a week.
There were multiple trips to the doctor this year.
At home, to make it easier for his wife to navigate, Joe converted a downstairs space into a comfortable bedroom for Laura.
Finally, the couple opted for hospice care.
“She passed three-to-four days later,” he said. “She passed on our anniversary, which was hard.”
CrossFit Vacaville folks held a fundraiser in Laura’s name and the money, about $2,000, was donated to Pink Lemonade. Then Joe made his $10,000 donation to the nonprofit, too.
Laura, he said, felt the money would help a lot of people. He agreed.
“It’ll do a lot of kindness for a lot of people,” he said.
Some moments are still hard for Joe, as Laura’s passing is still fresh in his mind. But he has his memories, and good news to look forward to.
“We’re gonna be grandparents,” he shared.
For more information on Pink Lemonade, visit https://pinklemonadefight.org/.