By: Maddy Terril 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV)-The 19th annual Natalie Jones Memorial Tournament wrapped up on March 1 after two weekends of play. The tournament, hosted by Ozark Juniors Volleyball, honors the life of former player Natalie Jones who passed away from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in 2006.

“Natalie was an inspiration to a lot of girls. She was amazing, even in the short life she had,” Louise Jones, Natalie’s mother said. 

This tournament reconnects her with her daughter.

“This tournament started the year after my daughter passed away,” Jones said. “I come back for it every time from wherever I’m living.”

Jones shared how much the tournament has grown, starting as a one day event with younger teams competing in the morning and older teams playing in the afternoon. But that is not the case anymore. Not only does the tournament now span over two weekends, it also utilizes multiple gym spaces in Fayetteville, Springdale, and Rogers. 

 

 

 

“There’s a lot of moms that come up to me that I don’t know from other teams who tell me this is their favorite tournament of the year and that they never miss buying a t-shirt for it,” Jones said. 

The popularity of the tournament has even caused Jones to see tournament t-shirts across the US at airports like Chicago and Dallas. The shirts serve as a reminder of Natalie. 

“The shirt has always had a few of Natalie’s favorite things on it. Yellow was her favorite color, yellow and orange,” Jones said. “A butterfly was a symbol for her life since she was a Christian.”

Natalie was diagnosed with ALL at age eight. She got into remission quickly and got through her maintenance therapy without any problems. Following 16 months of being through with chemo, she relapsed with the same cancer at age 12. She went through harder therapy this time around and had two and a half years of chemo. At the age of 14 and six months shy of finishing that therapy protocol, she relapsed again. 

The next and only direction to go was for a bone marrow transplant. Natalie’s older sister Olivia was a perfect match for the transplant. Following the typical three months to prep for this procedure and a brutal summer of chemo, she had a successful transplant in October of 2005. However, after 100 days, the cancer had come back in tests. Natalie then opted to not undergo anymore chemo and passed away on June 14, 2006.

Natalie’s family shared that they prayed for a miracle and Natalie got one by being able to be with her Savior in heaven. 

“Her nickname was Sunshine,” Jones said. 

Natalie played for Ozark Juniors for several years and wore the number two on her jersey. This tournament allows Natalie’s mother to stay connected to her daughter and also the memories of Natalie’s most favorite thing. 

“I just really enjoy reconnecting with coaches and referees,” Jones said. 

Jones said this is the best way to honor her daughter and the life that she lived. Playing volleyball, her favorite thing, is what Natalie would want people to be doing. Ozark Juniors says they play for her.