r
The following story and benefit event information was written by Suzy Estrada, sister to Jenny Adkins.
As a mother, it's one of the most difficult things to imagine...the death of your child. Unfortunately, many parents have had to endure this pain in their lives. One of them is Jenny Adkins, who lost her 14 year old son, Christopher Jones, at the hands of bullying teenagers on May 30, 2009.
Jenny has spent the last 2 years trying to cope with the loss of her son, and becoming proactive in our community to change laws and ing awareness to bullying and the reality of gangs in the suburbs.
Then in March, she received more terrible news. Her husband of 10 years, Paul Adkins, was diagnosed with terminal, stage 4 bladder cancer. Over the next 2 months, Paul became very sick and the doctors told them to say their goodbyes. Paul passed away on June 17. One of the last things he told her was to forgive the boys who killed Christopher.
Now Jenny is dealing with the grief of losing her father, her son, and her husband in 3 years. We're all asking what can we do to help, what do you need? Sometimes I feel as if the only answer would be to have her family back. Ironically, in March, I participated in and won the "Annapolis Idol" competition which was put on by the Conflict Resolution Center. I sang the song "Anyway" by Martina McBride, which is the song Jenny dedicated to Chris after his death. Winning that competition reminded me of my passion for singing and helped start my local singing career. Although I love to sing, I also want to make a difference and help people through my music.
On July 29, that's exactly what I'll be doing. We will be hosting a fundraiser at The Whiskey on West Street in Annapolis from 8 p.m. to midnight, to raise funds in order to help my sister with the funeral expenses and wages lost due to her time off of work to take care of Paul. We hope this will be a huge event and that the community will come out to support her. There will be a $10 cover charge and all proceeds will go directly to Paul's memorial fund. Jenny has been through more than most of us could possibly imagine in her 38 years of life. Please show her your support by coming to the fundraiser or simply mailing a donation. Thank you for all of the love and support you have all shown Jenny, please keep her in your prayers and as she would say "enjoy life because you're never promised tomorrow."
For more information on the fundraiser being held at The Whiskey on July 29, please visit Facebook: Suzy Estrada Music or Suzyestrada.com
Please mail donations to:
Jenny Adkins
2412 Old Mystic Ct
Crofton MD 21114
r
