Stanley Johnson speaks from his heart about his amazing mom

Stanley Johnson just released a video message for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. partnered up with the Hungry Howie’s Pizza national pizza chain for the month of October for Breast Cancer awareness.

For the month of October, Howie’s pizza boxes are pink, they offer special brownies with raspberry drizzle and sell pink merchandise such as t-shirts and bracelets.

A portion of any Hungry Howie’s Pizza purchase go to help fight breast cancer awareness and to help find a cure. Customers are encouraged to share their stories of strength on social media using the hashtag #LOVEHOPEPIZZA.

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In the video, Stanley opens up about his mother who lost her battle with breast cancer just last summer right after he graduated from a stellar freshman year at the University of Arizona.

Karen Taylor, Stanley’s mom, coached her son’s basketball team along with other numerous top local players on the So Cal Tigers AAU team.

Taylor passed away in early August of 2016, just a little over a month after Stanley was drafted eighth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. She was in New York to be with Stanley when he got drafted. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to see him play in the NBA. You can bet she is in his head as he plays and enjoys his successful pro career they planned and prepared for together from up above.

Stanley’s mom’s picture graces his Twitter banner on @IAmSJ. We can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Johnson, it was both a time full of happiness and sorrow. It reminds us how fragile life is and how you should cherish the time you are here on earth.

Taylor, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and battled the disease for the majority of her sons life, was a fighter. She, herself, was a standout basketball player at Jackson State and was inducted into the schools hall of fame. She also played pro basketball in Europe.

Dinos Trigonis, Pangos Showcase founder, was close to both Stanley and Taylor. He wrote a eulogy. This is part of what he wrote commemorating the life of this amazing woman:

“But Karen was so much more than just Stanley’s mom. She coached, counseled and mentored so many kids in her SoCal Tigers youth program and loved those kids as if they were her own.

I remember once when NBA All-Star Weekend came to Los Angeles, her scrapping together gas money to drive several of those kids to the Staples Center in order for the kids to experience the NBA Expo open to the public. Karen was always quick to offer any kid that she came in contact with her great knowledge of the game.”

Rob Elliott, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Hungry Howie’s, had this to say about Johnson’s involvement:

“We are honored to have Stanley Johnson involved in Hungry Howies’ 8th annual Love, Hope and Pizza campaign. As he has been directly impacted by breast cancer, he knows how important it is to continue to give back to organizations such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation that help in everything from early detection to treatment.”

Here is a video with Stanley telling his fans to support and be aware of what women go through when diagnosed with breast cancer:

Here’s is Johnson’s request to point him in pledging to support breast cancer awareness:

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Hungry Howie’s is working on growing their presence in Arizona. The closest store to students is about two miles north of the university on Campbell if you want to help support Stanley’s cause.