CANTON, MA – Though threats of a major hurricane had been looming all week, when the morning of the Carol Hanf Memorial Golf tournament came one could hardly spot a cloud in the sky.
“This day helps us keep her memory alive,” smiled Hanf’s daughter Alyson Doherty. Carol Hanf had passed at just 44 years old from the ovarian cancer, leaving behind her two daughters and husband Norm. “We have the best day, we come to have fun for her, she now has 4 grandchildren. It’s not even just for us anymore, it’s for her grandchildren. They get to know her through the stories that people tell this day.”
Celebrating the 15th annual tournament, the day didn’t miss a mark. From a spectacular morning on the green at Brookmeadow Golf Course to catered lunch featuring a live auction, it was a day of laughter, memories. Those who came helping to continue Carol’s legacy through raising awareness for Ovarian cancer and funds for those currently battling the disease. “Her life was lost but she saved so many others,” says her daughter, Ashley Yawn.
“It has just provided us with so much education,” says Doherty. “When my mom was diagnosed, they also tested her for the BRCA gene and she was positive. It gave us the education that her siblings needed to get tested for the gene.” One out of those five siblings was positive for the BRCA gene, and underwent a hysterectomy – the only truly preventative treatment on the market for someone who carries the gene. “I believe she saved that sibling’s life.”
Not only may Carol have saved her sibling, by advocating for genetic testing she also may have saved the life of her own daughter. “My sister Ashley was positive for the gene,” explains Doherty. “This foundation has taught us how to react when you get a positive result for that. Every 6 months she would go for an MRI, six months later she would go for a mammogram. With her second child, after they found something on her MRI. It was breast cancer.” Since she had been undergoing regular screenings, the cancer was caught early enough for Ashley to be cancer-free for 4 years after a journey that included three rounds of chemo, double mastectomy and a full hysterectomy. All, of course, which come at a great financial cost.
“When somebody is going through cancer treatment, the last thing they want to think about is medical bills,” explains Yawn. “It’s a struggle, you don’t realize how much all those appointments and medications cost so we’re really lucky that we found organizations like Ovations For The Cure where they raise money to help families in need to help pay for medical bills, help provide meals, help you just like get rid of that stress and just go through the treatment and not have to think about those other things. You don’t want to have to ask for help when you’re sick, but when you get it you’re eternally grateful.”
“Being 36, my mom has been passed away for longer than I actually knew her,” explains Ashley. “But I feel like her spirit still lives on in us through this golf tournament and through providing for others going through a similar journey and are using Ovations For The Cure to assist them in their time of need.”
There is one meaningful message the Hanf family & ovarian cancer Tina Gee hope all that come to the annual tournament can walk away with : listen to your body. “Advocate for yourself. It’s very subtle, everyday symptoms that we have as women – bloating, frequent urination, things like that that are easily missed and blown off just because we’re women. You’ve got to listen to your body. You know your body better than anybody else.”
“If you think you’re losing weight but your pants are tight but you’re bloated..get tested.” -Norman Hanf.
Click here to learn more about Ovations For The Cure, visit their website.
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Emmalyn Reid 