WEST LOOP — So many weekends growing up, Jodi Fyfe visited her father in Crystal Lake, where she and her cousin, Carrie Kenney, became best friends forever.
Those weekends set the stage for their strong friendship. They were always there for each other as they reached life's milestone — new jobs, their weddings and the birth of Fyfe's kids.
As young adults Fyfe, now owner of Paramount Events, built her career in catering and Kenney became an interior designer, working at Sears' headquarters in Hoffman Estates.
“Carrie was like a sister to me,” Fyfe said, hinting at the sad truth that her best friend died too soon.
When Fyfe gave birth to her first child, Kenney was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was just 28 years old.
“It was horrible. It was the best time of my life and the worst time of her life, and over the course of seven years everything just went downhill,” Fyfe said.
“Watching someone who you love fight and not being able to do anything for her while she’s going through things, losing her hair, the changes in her body ... " said Fyfe. "When hospice came in, I couldn’t believe or even imagine that this was happening."
Kenney died in February 2004 at age 35.
Heartbroken, Fyfe decided almost immediately to keep her cousin’s memory alive. The next year, she rounded up her pals in the service industry to throw the first Tickled Pink fundraiser to support the early prevention of breast cancer in honor of her friend.
“Carrie loved pink. She loved to laugh, was always smiling, and that’s who she was. I wanted this to be all about pink and fun and a celebration of life,” Fyfe said. “Everyone knows someone affected by breast cancer, and this is a night we can celebrate and remember Carrie and other people we’ve lost.”
The first event brought in $50,000, and thanks to donations from some of the best party organizers in the city, Fyfe was able to donate every penny. Since then, Tickled Pink events have raised more than $1.6 million.
On Feb. 20, the Tickled Pink party is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a bash in Kenney’s honor at Morgan Manufacturing that Fyfe hopes brings in more than $100,000 for Bright Pink, a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer.
“It’s bittersweet,” Fyfe said. “This is a fun event at the newest, coolest venue in the city with a great band, lots of raffles, Chicago celebrities and 20 chef stations. I have friends flying in town, and I get to spend time with my family, but at the same time it's sad. I’m happy that we get to do something to carry on Carrie’s name, but I wish she was here.”
For more information on the Tickled Pink party or how to donate click here.
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