My name is Dena Pfaff and I am the Office Manager here at Design Custom Homes.  I would like to take a moment to talk about something that is very personal and real for me – Cancer.  My youngest brother, Jerry, who just celebrated his 53 ^rd birthday on September 1^st has terminal colon cancer and while he has fought a brave battle for over five years, we are nearing the end of his journey.   He has a wonderful team of oncology nurses lead by Dr. Amit Sanyal at the Cancer Care center on John Q Hammons and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to take care of his medical needs. I would also like to thank Keith Holmes, owner of Design Custom Homes, for giving Jerry a purpose in life these past couple of years by providing him with a job. While he was not building homes he was doing important tasks around the shop or project sites that needed to be done. Jerry relished his part at DCH and was ecstatic to feel needed.

With that said, DCH has new clients that we are building a custom home for – Deric and Shawna Wheeler.  It just so happens that Deric is an Associate Professor, Director of Cancer Biology and Translational Medicine, as well as Director of The Ride at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.  Deric has been a really good listener and a source of comfort when it comes to discussing the topic of cancer and the care of my brother. Deric was explaining to me about The Ride, what they do, and how the money they raise goes 100% to cancer research. I wanted to get the word out so that more people know and can hopefully participate in such a great event and worthy cause.  Please take a moment to read the following article regarding The Ride and maybe even consider volunteering, donating, or participating.