WATERLOO — The promise of a full day of golfing would be enough to get Karen Kerr to sign up for the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic. The avid golfer hits the links three to four times a week. Kerr also is a breast cancer survivor, so the tournament, which is in its eighth year of raising funds for breast cancer research, has become a must for her each year.
“I golfed today, and a woman said, ‘I need help.’ She pulled me aside and said she had a real dear friend who had breast cancer and it was metastasizing real quick,” said Kerr. “… It’s someone all the time. You just have to keep alert.”
Sue Scarbrough credits the support of family, friends and co-workers with helping her get through breast cancer two years ago. Now, she is passing that support on to others who have been touched by the disease.
Scarbrough will be the featured speaker at the July 25 event. She plans to tell the crowd of about 160 women about her journey — from her diagnosis in 2003 to today, in remission for two years. Though she was diagnosed in July that year, she didn’t receive treatment — a mastectomy — until September. She then underwent chemotherapy before deciding to have her second breast removed as well. Scarbrough was scared, but put treatment off because she wanted to know all her options before making a decision.
“I would hope that most people would think about it and get some second opinions and talk with people who have been through it,” she said. “Every woman is different in how they handle their situation.”
Scarbrough said the hardest thing she ever did was tell her four adult sons about her disease. There were tears, but Scarbrough said it was a necessary step in dealing with the situation.
“My oldest said, ‘We’re going to fight it the best we can.’ He had this positive thinking, and that’s what got me rolling,” she said.
The American Cancer Society hopes to inspire those touched by breast cancer as well as raise money for research with the golf tournament. The entry fee is $60 per person, which includes dinner, 18 holes of golf at South Hills Golf Course and a golf cart.
Though the benefit has grown every year, and organizers expect all 144 spots to be filled, the tournament still is in need of volunteers and sponsorships. The American Cancer Society hopes to raise more than $18,000 with the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic, said Kevin Kann, community relations manager for the American Cancer Society. Sponsorships range from $300 holes to naming rights for $5,000. Though the smaller donations are doing well, said Angela Oslund, sponsorship chairwoman, the event has not had a sponsor with naming rights for two years.
“I’m running into a lot of people who say they’ve given to Relay for Life and they’re tapped out,” said Oslund. “For most people, it all falls under the American Cancer Society domain, but for the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic, 100 percent of the profits go to breast cancer.”
Additional funds are raised through sponsorships, raffle tickets and the sale of pink roses and phantom golfers, which are named silhouettes that can be purchased for $25.
Volunteers also come up with unique ways to raise money, like tournament favorite Sheila Miller, aka the Cookie Lady.
“She always makes cookies on her own, and then asks for a donation at a hole. She started about three years ago, and she always has a new look (to her cookies),” said Mary Jo Scully Klatt, volunteer coordinator for the event. This year, Miller will have cookies in the shape of the pink ribbon associated with breast cancer.
Neither Kerr nor Scarbrough had a history of cancer in their families, proving breast cancer can strike even without extra risk factors. But as they believe women must take care of themselves and be aware of their bodies, they also know you can’t let the possibility of disease ruin the better things in life — like golf.
“In the back of my mind, there’s always the chance that (cancer) is there. But I try not to worry about it, and I live my life and I do the best I can,” said Scarbrough. “I wake up every day and say a prayer and thank God for giving me the day and letting me spend more time with my kids and my grandkids. I do that every morning on the way to work.”
Contact Kelsey Holm at (319) 291-1464 or kelsey.holm@wcfcourier.com.
GO & DO
What: Pink Ribbon Golf Classic
When: 1 to 7 p.m. July 25
Where: South Hills Golf Course, 830 E. Shaulis Road, Waterloo
Cost: $60 registration fee per person, includes meal
More info: To donate your time or prizes, call the American Cancer Society at 272-2880. Details at www.cancer.org.
Breast cancer facts
— Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.
— About 212,920 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2006. About 40,970 women will die from the disease this year.
— The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33.
— While men can also get breast cancer, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men.
— The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers are found in women over age 50.
— White women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than are African-American women. But African-American women are more likely to die of this cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.
— Studies show that exercise reduces breast cancer risk. One study found that as little as one hour and 15 minutes to two-and-a-half hours per week of brisk walking reduced the risk by 18%. Walking 10 hours a week reduced the risk a little more.
— American Cancer Society
— Approximately 3 million women in the U.S. are living with breast cancer: about 2.3 million have been diagnosed and an estimated 1 million do not yet know they have the disease.
— Approximately 12 percent of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer die from the disease within five years; at 10 years, 20% will have died. The most recent available statistics show that 40% of all women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer died from the disease within 20 years.
— Only about 5 percent of all breast cancer cases occur in women under the age of 40. However, younger women who get breast cancer have a lower survival rate than older women who get breast cancer.
— Mammography screening does not prevent or cure breast cancer; however, it may detect the disease before symptoms occur. Breast cancer tumors can exist for six to ten years before they grow large enough to be detected by mammography. In addition, mammography is less effective in younger women than in older women.
— All women are at risk for breast cancer. About 90% of women who develop breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.
— Factors that increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer include: older age, earlier age at first period, later age at menopause, nulliparity (having no children), later age at first full-term pregnancy, daily alcohol consumption, use of hormonal replacement therapy, postmenopausal obesity, ionizing radiation, genetic factors and family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Factors that decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer include: breast-feeding and physical activity.
— National Breast Cancer Coalition
