Photo for Headline Surfer / This undated pic shows a surfer competing in the annual May Day Memorial Surf Golf Classic in the Atlantic waters off the Flagler Beach Municipal Pier in Flagler County, Florida.
By SERA KING / Headline Surfer
FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. -- Haley Watson Stephens explains how the death of her beloved mom to heart disease 12 years ago led to her launching the annual May Day Memorial Surf Classic.
"In the early morning hours of Dec. 29, 2006, my mother, Dollie Sue Watson, passed away at the age of just 46," Stephens recalled. "Her friends, as well as anyone who had the chance to know her, will agree that she was one of the most loving, caring, giving, strongest, most incredible women that you’ll ever meet."
In 1998, she suffered her first heart attack and was diagnosed with heart disease, which is the No. 1 cause of death in women worldwide.
"Something that my mother taught my brother, Hunter and I was to never give up" Haley Stephens stressed. "So she continued to make the best out of every single day. She always put others before herself and helped everyone any chance she had. Just by looking at her face, always smiling, and being around her optimistic, upbeat attitude, you would have never guessed that she was sick."
But sadly, she was and paid for it with her life.
"Although she is no longer with us here on Earth, she is nowhere near-forgotten," Stephens said stoically, adding, "Please help us remember her, and all of the amazing things she has done, by joining us each year in May at the Flagler Beach Pier with a slate of events that includes the surfing competition, raffle drawings, and an all-around good time to help promote awareness of heart disease, especially in women."
About the Byline Writer: Sera King is associate publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet in Lake Mary, FL serving greater Orlando, Sanford, and Daytona Beach via HeadlineSurfer.com since 2008. She's also a byline writer (business, community & sports features), a videographer, and a cartoonist for the media outlet. King received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Metro Orlando Campus of Ana G. Mendez University in 2008. Headline Surfer is published by Henry Frederick, Central Florida's award-winning journalist.