My friend died. She did not die of cancer, so there is no one to light a luminary or walk in the Relay for Life for her. She did not die of heart disease, so there is no one to wear red for her.

She died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 40. Was the artery weakened by the abuse she sustained?

I don’t know. I do know that the abuse left her with only 20 percent hearing in one ear and none in the other.

I know it took great courage to escape her abuser and to make a life for herself and her children.

Heart disease is the number one health threat to women. Domestic abuse is a close second. In any given year, over 600,000 women will be abused by their partners.

Over 40,000 will die at the hands of their partners. Young women (16-24) experience the highest rate of domestic violence. That was the category that fit my friend’s situation.

Tammy Nettles Tynes never talked about her troubles. She gave everyone a million dollar smile. She was very well-respected. She left her mark of courage on all who knew her. To honor her courage and show our respect, Carl Holthauzer, Mary Mills and I decided to remember our friend and to help other women in our area who suffer from domestic abuse.

Every year we organize the TNT Memorial No Tap Doubles Bowling Tournament at Rivergate Bowl.

In coordination with the tournament, we also do a fundraiser for the Guardian Shelter for Battered Women. Desiree and Mike Smith and the staff of 107.1 The River helped us by bringing back the Alligator Auction.

We had over 114 businesses donate items for the auction and for the fundraiser events during the tournament. Through the auction and the other events, we raised $5,547.

Wal-Mart offers community grants for various activities within the community. Cathy Johnson, the community co-coordinator for the Vidalia Wal-Mart, helped us secure a $1.000 grant.

ExxonMobil has a Volunteer Involvement Program for their employees and retirees. Through this program we were able to add another $1,000.

We also had a number of companies and individuals whose cash donations totaled $710.

In our respect and love for Tammy, we raised a total of $8,284.00 for the Guardian Shelter.

To all of the people and businesses in the Miss-Lou area, we send you a heart felt thanks.

Carol Tomko

Co-chair of the TNT Memorial Fund.