Debbie Manfre's friends have raised thousands of dollars for her husband's cancer fight, helping the couple buy and build a gazebo for their backyard so he can sit outside.
A group of friends who met playing pickleball in South Jersey is going above and beyond for one of their own.
Debbie Manfre is one of the founding members of the group that plays the growing sport every day at James Atkinson Memorial Park. Though, she hasn't been able to go all summer as her husband, Jay, fights blood cancer."It's like being a kid again. It's like you're 12 years old and you don't have a care in the world, and you're out there just playing with your friends," said Debbie.
Her friends have raised thousands of dollars for her husband's cancer fight, helping the couple buy and build a gazebo for their backyard so Jay can sit outside. They are also raising money through bracelet sales that say "Team Jay #33."One of the people running the pickleball team is Pat Brooks. "It's fun, engaging, it's fast, and the friends. The people that I'm meeting, it's just been a blessing for me. I lost my husband and it's just been the answer to everything," she said."When you're down and out you just need someone behind you, supporting you," she said.
Though, because of the pickleball friends she met, who quickly became more like family, she knows they're not fighting alone.
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