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Dear Friends:
This website was created to tell you about a remarkable young woman named Lori Udy.
Lori Udy passed away today, and though we all knew the severity of her situation, her passing comes as a shock, and leaves us wishing she might have been given one more day. And had such a precious gift been granted--a day free from pain-- it’s not hard to imagine what she would have done with it. She wasn’t one to squander time, and she lived her life putting first what matters most. Without question, one more day for Lori would have meant one more day with her husband, Steve and her children, Austin and Mikayla, hugging them, touching them, and telling them how much she loved them.
Though we wish we could, we cannot give her that day, but still there is something we can do, especially for Austin and Mikayla--we can tell her story. At the request of Lori’s parents, we are asking you to share with us at loriudy.com some of your memories of Lori. Whether you knew her well or not, if she touched your life, we’d like to hear it. Tell us what she taught you through the way she lived her life, or share something silly from her childhood. Tell us each happy, wonderful memory, because as you tell us, you will be telling Austin and Mikayla.
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Lori grew up in Polk County Florida. She is the daughter of Mike and Sue Welch, two people who for many years served the Polk County community, Mike as a Highway Patrol officer, and Sue as a judicial assistant. They taught Lori and their other children to be decent citizens, generous in helping others, but never looking to others to take care of themselves. Lori is now a wife and mother. Her two children, Mikayla and Austin, are just five and seven, too small to fully understand the tremendous woman their mother is, or that she is currently in the fight for her life.You see, Lori was diagnosed several years ago with breast cancer. She immediately underwent a double mastectomy and subsequent chemotherapy, but the cancer spread to other parts of her body, in particular her lungs and brain. She has had periods of remission, but currently is undergoing treatments to shrink the six tumors in her brain, tumors that are limiting the use of her left hand and robbing her, among other things, of the ability to play the piano, one of her great joys. Through all her health ups and downs, Lori has continued to live her life, raise her children, and contribute in positive ways to her community, and it is my hope that the community that she was raised in can reach out to her and her family now.
Steve and Lori Udy everyday are faced with staggering medical bills and grim news, but they barrel forward, looking only to themselves to cover their personal expenses and the expenses from Lori’s health issues. Steve Udy is a true American cowboy. He was raised on a ranch in Idaho and now works as the foreman of a large ranch near Orlando. He is capable and strong, and expects no one but himself to shoulder his family’s burdens. On the day that he first learned of Lori’s cancer diagnosis, he was practically unreachable, out in a far corner of the ranch doing a controlled burn. He is rugged, but with Lori he is tender, and the love between them and that which they feel for their children has given her the strength to fight.
As a friend of their family, I know that despite the challenges they face charity is not something they are seeking, but that a gesture of kindness from our community would be gladly accepted.
We want to thank the countless people have offered to help the Udy family. This page has been created for those who wish to make a monatary donation to help the family cover some of the costs of Lori's medical treatments. No preset amounts have been created. All donations are securely processed through PayPal.