Joy Harris Cancer Fund

To my friends and family in the Romancelandia community near and far, our beloved Joy Harris, the founder of Joyfully Reviewed, needs your support.

On July 19, 2023, Joy suffered a fall and broke her right hip. During treatment, she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer that affects plasma cells and damages the bone marrow. The cancer is inside her bones and is a direct cause of her injury. Joy’s cancer is not curable, but it is treatable.

After receiving a Titanium hip, spending a month in the hospital, undergoing one round of chemo and physical/occupational therapy, Joy was finally released to go home on August 18th. She is currently home bound, limited to a walker/wheelchair and learning to walk on one leg while her leg heals. She will be going through multiple rounds of chemo, radiation, a bone marrow transplant, replacement of her left hip, numerous scans, X-rays and more. Between medications, in home PT and Doctor's appointments, Joy will be on at least a two year journey towards getting healthier according to her doctor.

As many of you know, Joy has been a pillar of the Romance publishing industry for 20 years. She’s worked as a personal/virtual assistant for both Indie and Traditional Romance Authors, but Joy is mostly well known for her professional, respectful, and candid book review service -- Joyfully Reviewed.

Her love for all things romance started her journey of highlighting subgenres and authors of color that she felt weren’t getting the attention they deserved. She was also at the forefront of the digital reading platform era --aka “ebooks”. She always stayed focused on what indie and traditional romance readers, authors and industry leaders were seeking by attending and/or volunteering at romance conventions and book signing events throughout the country like RWA National, Romantic Times Book Convention (now known a Booklovers Con), Romance Author Get Together (RAGT), and Authors After Dark to name few. You could always spot Joy in any room – look for the white and pink fluffy bunny ears!

Joy has a long road ahead of her. Her sister and best friend, Natalie aka “Nat” has become her caregiver and is working diligently to advocate for Joy’s care and well-being as they both traverse their new normal. This Go Fund Me is being established to help offset Joy’s current medical bills and her future care to lighten the financial load.

I am organizing this on behalf of Joy and Nat. They are the beneficiaries of all funds collected. After so many years of supporting the romance community, I'm hoping that we can return that love and support. Every little bit helps, even if all you can do is share this Go Fund Me with the broader romance community on your social media platforms.

With love and appreciation.