PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Angela Eates Seed had only just begun to live when cancer came out of nowhere.
Diagnosed at 25, the newlywed fought hard for five years to live the life she and husband, Tripp had been planning.
“It was life-changing for us ’cause all the plans we had were put on hold or were, no more,” Tripp Seed told WAVY.
Angela met her husband playing softball, her other love.
Angela’s parents, who spent her childhood on the softball field, describe her as a strong athlete with an even stronger will.
“She had a never-give-up attitude until the end,” said her father, Frank Eates. “She never gave up.”
Angela was first diagnosed in 2017, took chemo and went into remission for two years. She got really strong again, going back to CrossFit classes five or six times a week and eating nothing but healthy food.
In 2020 the cancer returned. A bone marrow transplant gave her one more year with her family.
“We did a lot of traveling, a lot of fun things together, so it was a lot of hard times but there were some good times in there, too,” Seed said.
That time was precious, and only possible because of the generosity of family and friends,
who raised or donated money so Tripp could leave his job and stay at Angela’s side at Duke Medical Center.
“The generosity of people that we saw, it was overwhelming,” Seed said. “We just want to give that back.”
Giving back, said her mother, Sandra Eates, was important to Angela.
“She was hoping to have survived everything and be able to be a big part of this because her and her Dad had talked about it quite a bit,” Sandra Eates said.
Now it is her family’s mission to lessen the burden for others in similar shoes, making every moment count.
The AES Cancer Foundation is holding its first fundraising golf tournament Oct. 6 at the Suffolk Golf Course. 10 On Your Side will have a couple of golfers on the course and we hope to see you there as well. All the money raised goes to pay the bills of those in need. Click here to register or for more information.
