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More Than Medals: The Davis Family

MORE THAN MEDALS shares the heartfelt stories of our fundraisers, revealing the faces behind our cause. Today, we share the story of Darnell Davis and his family.

MEET THE DAVIS FAMILY

Darnell and Zaki train at Ruffhouse Jiu Jitsu in Columbus, OH. They are fundraising for the 2025 Columbus BJJ Open on February 8, 2025.

THEY FIGHT FOR THEIR WIFE/MOTHER

Darnell’s wife, Zaki’s mother, passed away from stage 4 cancer in October 2021. Two months after her diagnosis they found out she was pregnant with their second son Ezra. They unfortunately lost the baby due to the chemotherapy.

In the Spring of 2021, Darnell’s son walked in on him watching his old matches from tournaments and thought it was cool. He instantly was enamored with the sport and asked if he could train. Darnell reached out to his Professor, who knew what they were dealing with and told them to just come in and get his son on the mats.

During the summer, Monique’s health began to decline and ultimately in October of 2021, she passed away. Darnell was in the darkest of places mentally and became a shut-in. The only thing that got him out of the house was his son and the kids at Ruffhouse Jiu Jitsu. Fast forward three years, Zaki was promoted to solid Grey, and Darnell was promoted to purple belt and the Head Coach for the Kids Program. They fight to support those who are in their own fight, daily. They fight to honor Monique, Ezra, and everyone who is a victim of this deadly disease.

We encourage you to follow Darnell’s fundraising journey. He is doing an amazing job fundraising thus far and we can’t wait to see him on the mats in February!