[melodic wind chimes]
- Take a late summer drive
on State Road 85 in Eau Claire County,
and odds are
one of nature's most colorful creations
will be on display.
Sunflowers are a symbol of adoration.
A great example of that is this field,
and there was no bigger fan of these flowers
than Babbette Jaquish.
- Oh, she liked all flowers,
but sunflowers are kind of a happy flower, and...
that was probably her favorite flower.
- She convinced her husband, Don, to plant sunflowers
on their family farm.
They brought her family joy, just like Babbette.
- She was kind of like a sunflower.
I mean, she was, like, always smiling.
She was always bright.
She was always happy.
- Even as she faced the fight of her life.
In 2006, Babbette was diagnosed with multiple myeloma,
a cancer that affects the plasma cells in bone marrow.
- She was really sick at the time,
and so they gave her just a couple of weeks to live
if she didn't respond to the treatment.
And if she did respond to the treatment,
they gave her two years.
And she lived eight and a half.
- Babbette's passing in 2014 was devastating,
but Don was determined to make sure her spirit lived on.
- My wife was my soul mate, and I just...
It's hard to-- hard to not have her around.
It'll be going on four years in the fall.
And I still miss her dearly.
- In the summer of 2015, he rented land
from neighboring farms along State Road 85
and planted sunflowers.
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Four-and-a-half miles of sunflowers.
- And I just wanted everybody to know
how much she meant to me.
- His touching tribute went viral.
Emails poured in from all over the world.
- We got some letters from China.
We got some from the Ukraine.
- It just exploded.
Everybody loved them,
and Don and I kind of put our heads together and decided
"You know, maybe we should make something more of this
because it's kind of what she wanted to do."
So that's how we formed Babbette's Seeds of Hope.
- Babbette's seeds of hope is a non-profit organization
that raises money for cancer research.
- There's hardly...
a family around, of any size,
that doesn't have somebody in their family that's had cancer.
- Their biggest fundraiser takes place every August
when part of Jaquish farms
transforms into a sunflower maze.
- All of the proceeds that are donated at the maze
go into cancer research.
- They also sell sunflower seeds,
and for a donation,
let visitors pick their own sunflower to take home.
Thousands of people flock to Jaquish Farms each year
for the two week event.
- Oh my, look at this!
Ooh, wow!
Whoo, that's pretty!
- Some come to snap pictures.
Others come to spread hope.
- I'm one of the lucky ones; I survived cancer.
And it's really important to have the support of others
when you're going through cancer,
of any type of cancer.
So that's why it's important.
- For me, the sunflowers have made me realize
that I'm not alone;
there are a lot of other people out there like me
and like our family.
[horse-drawn wagon creeks]
- It's a fun family thing to come to.
And who doesn't love sunflowers?
They just make you smile.
I love it.
- Babbette's Seeds of Hope
has raised more than $50,000 for cancer research.
Don's act of love ensured that Babbette's legacy
will continue to grow year after year.
- It's kind of like a celebration of her life
every year.
Every year, for the sunflowers, it's something new
for us to look forward to,
and to continue on, and never give up.
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