Really a sad story from the world of sports. Hopefully, many other lives will be saved from early detection of this and other cancers that are manageable and treatable if caught in the early stages. It was good to see that she fought long enough and hard enough to see her daughter play at that level. Puts things in perspective.
Excerpts from espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2882571
Kelly Jo Dowd dies after long battle with cancer
Kelly Jo Dowd, a cancer-stricken mother whose dream of seeing her teen daughter Dakoda play in an LPGA event was realized last spring, has died. She was 42.
She spent years battling breast cancer, which her family said spread to her bones and liver, and then to her brain in the final months of her life. She died Thursday night at her home in Palm Harbor, Fla., with her daughter and other relatives at her side.
Kelly Jo Dowd's dream was to see Dakoda play in an LPGA event.
Her death came just over a year after seeing her daughter play in the Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla., when Dakoda, then 13, and her family went public with their story, even knowing Kelly Jo's death was expected. Shortly before the tournament, the family was told Kelly Jo would have only a few months to live.
Dakoda Dowd, one of the nation's top-ranked junior golfers, was invited to play in the 2006 tournament by Ginn Resorts president and CEO Bobby Ginn, who lauded the Dowds Friday as "a special family whose story touched a nation."
"I'm prouder today than I was yesterday that my daughter has the courage and strength to play with these LPGA professionals," Kelly Jo said after that tournament. "And I feel great right now. I feel great. My dream came true out here."
The Dowd family chose to tell their story with hopes that Kelly Jo's plight -- she ignored a lump for several months before being diagnosed with breast cancer -- would be a strong reminder that women should be vigilant in doing self-exams and getting checked regularly.
"I did something pretty stupid," Kelly Jo said in a 2006 interview with the AP. "And the only way that I can let myself feel better about it is if I know that people can learn from our situation."
"We're not going to run away from this," he said. "We're going to glorify her and do her proud."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment