Jody Black
Lauren Black hosted a cancer fundraiser to raise money for her husband Jody Black, 46, who was diagnosed with stage four Lung Cancer in 2018. Lauren organized a two-day event on Aug. 26 and 27 at Doug’s Vault in Albany, Ohio with a raffle, live music and food all to raise money to help support Jody through his cancer treatments.
People from the community showed up to the fundraiser with gifts and donations for Jody. Several customers had no idea about the event, but once arriving at Doug’s Vault and learning about the fundraiser, they donated.
The raffle prizes were donated from local places; Doug’s Vault, The Athena Grande, Passion Works, Texas Roadhouse, Skin Hooked, Blue Eagle Music, Tractor Supply, Sol, Plaza Barber Shop, Cool Digs, Import House and The Smiling Skull. All prizes were worth somewhere between $30 and $150. Lauren also brought spray-painted cans and put them out around the speakeasy for people who just wanted to donate.
In 2018, Jody went to the doctor with what he thought was pneumonia. The doctors performed a CT scan and found he had stage four lung cancer as well as a severe heart problem. More tests were done and four days later Jody was diagnosed with an Aortic Aneurysm. From then on, Jody was in and out of the hospital, but doctors weren’t able to find a cure. Years went by and Jody “couldn’t lift a jug of milk” because he was so weak. Being this weak and in constant pain, Jody decided something had to change. He looked into naturopathic medicine and started seeing a holistic doctor in 2021. Since then, he’s been able to regain some of his strength back.
Lauren said this event is special because “Jody doesn’t get out of the house much” and when he does, it’s a small group of people. She planned this event not only to raise money, but to give Jody a sense of his community back. She also invited her friend to film the entire event so she and Jody could remember it forever.
Jody met the members of the band before he was diagnosed. They’ve performed together at Doug’s Vault a few times before, playing covers and original music.
John Howell, a community member at the fundraiser, said, “Just wait until they play their originals. Their covers are good and all, but I know they have more in them than that, just wait and see.”
Howell’s entire family came to support Jody, without fully knowing him.
“I’ve actually never met Jody,” Howell said. “My brothers know him from the band, so me, my wife and my parents came to show support to my brothers and Jody!”
Despite the event taking place for serious reasons, the community gathered and danced the night away. Jody played his harmonica and sang a few songs, leading the crowd to jam to the beat.
“It’s like killing two birds with a stone,” Lauren said. “Jody gets to do what he loves while we also spend the night relaxing and not worrying about the things we normally have to worry about everyday.”
