Linda and Don Jay Smith Now Need Our Help
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Linda and Don Jay Smith Now Need Our Help.
· Diane and Jerry Vezza are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Linda Smith and her family.
Linda and her husband, Don Jay Smith, have made a huge difference in our community over the years and now it’s time for the community to support them. Together they were key founders of Morristown’s Community Theatre (now the Mayo Performing Arts Center) and ran it for almost a decade, Linda as Artistic Director and Don as Board Chair. The theatre was instrumental in the renaissance of Morristown and much of today’s success for the town can be credited to their vision. We should add that during that time, they also opened their hearts to an adopted daughter from Central America, enlarging their family to three children.
Opening the Community Theatre in 1994, they reached out to many Morris County Arts Organizations who benefited from having a professional venue including Masterwork Chorus, the Morris Choral Society, Colonial Symphony, and the New Jersey Ballet. Over the course of more than 40 years, they have been active members of the community, supporting organizations such as Carolyn Dorfman Dance, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Morris Tourism, the New Jersey Youth Symphony, the Bickford Theatre at Morris Museum and the Historic Neighborhood Association plus their newest production, the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. As an animal lover, Linda also donated her time to fostering both dogs and cats, preparing many for their forever homes.
The two of them personally made a difference in our lives. When Jerry was battling cancer more than a decade ago, Linda and Don stepped up, organizing and running a very successful fundraising concert, an event which was a huge amount of work and helped us when our family needed it the most. Their concern and support helped us to emerge from this dark time better than ever.
And now, while they would never ask for help, they need us. It was a little more than four years ago that Linda was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Characteristically, she told very few people about her battle. She is a very private person and was concerned that her cancer would affect their consulting work. When she went into remission, she felt a little more comfortable about sharing her experience, but it was only to encourage other women to stay healthy and strong.
Unfortunately, her cancer returned this summer as a Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, spreading to her bones and the lymph nodes in her chest. Because of the pandemic, their business went dark in March – no concerts, no University consulting, no income.
Currently Linda is being treated at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, which requires frequent all-day trips where Don has to wait in the parking garage. In September she spent two weeks in two different hospitals and will soon start a regimen involving some very costly drugs. Her oncologist hopes to slow the spread of the cancer and restore a better quality of life, but right now, due to the treatment for the cancer in her legs, Linda is unable to walk and needs assistance.
Linda and Don helped us through our very challenging battle with cancer and it’s our turn to give back. They need our help urgently as they navigate this fight, a fight which they did not anticipate and came on so suddenly. Despite all of the difficulties of this past year, Linda still has her sense of humor, her big smile, and a deep concern for everyone around her. They are facing so many challenges with Linda’s cancer, their financial responsibilities, and their emotional well-being, they now need our help.
I hope we can all join together to show Linda how much she and Don mean to all of us.
· Diane and Jerry Vezza are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Linda Smith and her family.
Linda and her husband, Don Jay Smith, have made a huge difference in our community over the years and now it’s time for the community to support them. Together they were key founders of Morristown’s Community Theatre (now the Mayo Performing Arts Center) and ran it for almost a decade, Linda as Artistic Director and Don as Board Chair. The theatre was instrumental in the renaissance of Morristown and much of today’s success for the town can be credited to their vision. We should add that during that time, they also opened their hearts to an adopted daughter from Central America, enlarging their family to three children.
Opening the Community Theatre in 1994, they reached out to many Morris County Arts Organizations who benefited from having a professional venue including Masterwork Chorus, the Morris Choral Society, Colonial Symphony, and the New Jersey Ballet. Over the course of more than 40 years, they have been active members of the community, supporting organizations such as Carolyn Dorfman Dance, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Morris Tourism, the New Jersey Youth Symphony, the Bickford Theatre at Morris Museum and the Historic Neighborhood Association plus their newest production, the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. As an animal lover, Linda also donated her time to fostering both dogs and cats, preparing many for their forever homes.
The two of them personally made a difference in our lives. When Jerry was battling cancer more than a decade ago, Linda and Don stepped up, organizing and running a very successful fundraising concert, an event which was a huge amount of work and helped us when our family needed it the most. Their concern and support helped us to emerge from this dark time better than ever.
And now, while they would never ask for help, they need us. It was a little more than four years ago that Linda was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Characteristically, she told very few people about her battle. She is a very private person and was concerned that her cancer would affect their consulting work. When she went into remission, she felt a little more comfortable about sharing her experience, but it was only to encourage other women to stay healthy and strong.
Unfortunately, her cancer returned this summer as a Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, spreading to her bones and the lymph nodes in her chest. Because of the pandemic, their business went dark in March – no concerts, no University consulting, no income.
Currently Linda is being treated at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, which requires frequent all-day trips where Don has to wait in the parking garage. In September she spent two weeks in two different hospitals and will soon start a regimen involving some very costly drugs. Her oncologist hopes to slow the spread of the cancer and restore a better quality of life, but right now, due to the treatment for the cancer in her legs, Linda is unable to walk and needs assistance.
Linda and Don helped us through our very challenging battle with cancer and it’s our turn to give back. They need our help urgently as they navigate this fight, a fight which they did not anticipate and came on so suddenly. Despite all of the difficulties of this past year, Linda still has her sense of humor, her big smile, and a deep concern for everyone around her. They are facing so many challenges with Linda’s cancer, their financial responsibilities, and their emotional well-being, they now need our help.
I hope we can all join together to show Linda how much she and Don mean to all of us.Organizer and beneficiary
Jerry Vezza
Organizer
Madison, NJ
Don Smith
Beneficiary