Babbette Jaquish was known as the “Sunflower Lady” in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a community where she lived. When she died last November after suffering as a cancer patient for years, her husband, cash grain farmer Don Jaquish, decided to fulfill one of her dreams. He planted 400 acres of sunflowers and started a cancer awareness company, Babbette’s Seeds of Hope, to raise money for cancer research.
“She realized the importance of research in clinical trials. She went from being expected live two weeks to two months to nine years,” Jaquish told ABC News. “Her attitude was every day I can stay alive I’m one day closer to effective cancer treatment. Unfortunately, her health just kept declining over the years, and it got to be too much to start and operate a business when she was so sick.”
Babbette Jaquish was known as the “Sunflower Lady”
She wanted to sell sunflower seeds to raise money for cancer research, but died from the illness last November
Babbette's husband Don decided to fulfil her dream, so he planted 400 acres of sunflowers and started Babbette's Seeds Of Hope
“She realized the importance of research in clinical trials”
“Unfortunately...it got to be too much to start and operate a business when she was so sick”
Several months after Babbette's death, Don found a secret letter that she had written him
It said, “You move on and live each day...”
Image credits: Denise Marsolek
“...Feel me in the morning air, and when you wake up and make your coffee...”
“...I will be there always”
Image credits: Kare 11