UPDATE- Mrs. Sue Mulford Has Driven Through the Pearly Gates, “Wear Blue For Sue” Campaign Reaches Final Chapter
The “Wear Blue For Sue” crowd at the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress.
UPDATE: Mrs. Sue Mulford drove into the pearly gates over the weekend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family at this time.
By: Brittany Bevis
Many of our readers will remember a touching story from the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress when a deafening crowd of spectators, dressed entirely in blue, cheered from the stands as Mrs. Sue Mulford drove her horse Stay Shining to a fifth place finish in Amateur Pleasure Driving. The crowd of family, friends, and fellow competitors donned blue as part of the “Wear Blue For Sue” campaign, in an effort to show their love and support for Sue during her fourth diagnosis with cancer.
As the 2015 show season came to a close, Sue’s hard work and persistence paid off as she was named the year-end AQHA High Point Champion in Amateur Pleasure Driving. This wasn’t Sue’s first time at the top of the High Point standings. Back in 2005, Sue and Virtual Chocolate won the High Point title in both Open and Amateur Pleasure Driving, just prior to her first cancer diagnosis in 2006.
Since that time, Sue has battled against and beaten cancer three times, in 2006, 2012, and 2014. However, her fourth and final diagnosis appears that it will mark the conclusion of a triumphant journey and a long and fulfilling life. She has recently discontinued treatments and returned home to the family farm to spend time with her children and grandchildren.
Sue and Shine at the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress.
We had the opportunity to speak with Sue’s daughter, Dr. Lisa Campbell, who was able to reflect on the life and times of this most extraordinary woman. “She is comfortable and at peace with family members, including multiple dogs close by,” Lisa says. “On warm days, she is able to see her grandson Cody and his customers as they ride, watching through the glass doors near her bed. On one particularly warm day, just after we moved her home, a few of the horses made it up to the house to the window near her hospital bed in the family room.”
Horses have always been a big part of Sue’s life. She grew up on a small farm in Gallia County, Ohio where her family had a herd of rambunctious ponies on hand for trail riding. Sue’s first equine partner was a large black and white pony named Little Brother. When it was time to move up to a larger mount, Sue’s father purchased a grulla dun named Casual Cookie, Sue’s first Quarter Horse, in 1973.
Shortly after, the entire family got in on the act and began showing at local and open shows in the area. By the mid 80s, Lisa and her brother were off to college competing in IHSA and rodeo competition, while Mom and Dad stuck to AQHA events. Sue’s love of horses has also been passed along to her grandchildren: Christina is on the Northern Kentucky University Equestrian Team, Courtney was the 2014 Ohio High School Rodeo Queen, and Cody operates his own training business from the family farm in Georgetown, Ohio.
Along the way, there have been trials and tribulations that have tested the family’s faith, due in part to Sue’s health challenges. However, the family truly believes it’s Sue’s love of horses, her drive to compete, and even to add a new discipline at the age of 70, that have allowed her to survive and thrive much longer than any doctor predicted.
“It was about always having a goal – to drive again, to ride again, the next weekend horse show, the Congress, the Select World, and even to add new disciplines,” Lisa says. “She started taking Jumping lessons from Sandy Vaughn in Florida after her second diagnosis and at the age of 70! The Tough Enough to Wear Pink Horse Show that’s held in Ohio every September, which benefits cancer patients, has always been a favorite of hers. No matter her condition, she has managed to show in the Survivor Class for seven years in a row. I truly believe that her love of horses, her desire to ride and show, and to watch her family members show has saved her life multiple times. It has given us 9 ½ ‘bonus’ years since her first diagnosis!”
Sue’s recent diagnosis in September 2015 marks her fourth battle with cancer. Her first diagnosis was in 2006, after she became ill while attending the Tar Heel Triple Classic in North Carolina. While in the hospital, Sue had a large portion of her colon removed and a resulting biopsy indicated colon cancer. After a successful round of chemotherapy, she recovered and was in full remission until 2012.
It was at another horse show, this time in Venice, Florida, that Sue was admitted into the hospital with symptoms, resulting in another diagnosis of colon cancer. This time, both radiation and chemotherapy were part of the treatment.
“After claiming the survivor title for almost two years after her second battle, the third diagnosis of small intestinal cancer came in October of 2014,” Lisa says. “She was entered in Pleasure Driving at the Congress that year, but was in the hospital recovering from her third surgery. As a result, we watched Dad drive Shine to Top 5 and Top 10 finishes in Senior and Amateur Pleasure Driving. Two days after she was released from the hospital, she made it to the Congress to watch her granddaughter show in Youth Trail.”
The intensity of chemotherapy proved to be more challenging during Sue’s third diagnosis. After a bad reaction to the medication, but with a cancer-free scan, Sue discontinued treatments in December of 2014 and headed to the 2015 Florida Gold and Gulf Coast Quarter Horse Circuit to compete in Pleasure Driving, Performance Halter, and Hunter Under Saddle. Sue continued to show throughout 2015 until her symptoms returned in August. A trip to her oncologist in September confirmed her fourth diagnosis with cancer.
Driving the grandkids around at the Congress.
“Still determined to win another battle, she began chemotherapy immediately, but still met her goal of driving her own horse at the 2015 Congress,” Lisa says. “In early November, in addition to chemotherapy, her treatment plan was extended to included radiation five times a week. Everything about the fourth diagnosis has been different from the start. Treatments were much more physically challenging for her and scans have only provided evidence that the cancer had become more aggressive and spread to include tumors and masses in multiple new locations.”
“In mid-December, all treatments were discontinued. Within a week, she was admitted to an inpatient Hospice facility near her home in Ohio. After a two week stay and pain management, she was able to be released to come home to our family farm with the support of Hospice staff, family, and friends.”
Of all the disciplines Sue has competed in over the years, Pleasure Driving is by far her favorite. In keeping with her fun-loving nature and spunky personality, Sue has decided she would like to be buried in the blue outfit she wore at the 2015 Quarter Horse Congress. “She insists she even wants the sequined hat as part of her attire,” Lisa says. According to Mrs. Sue, “I plan to DRIVE through the Pearly Gates!”
Sue was excited to receive her official High Point letter from AQHA!
