6-Year-Old Boy Will Attempt To Play 100 Holes Of Golf In Memory Of His Friend Who Died Of Cancer

SteveHolt10 years ago

In memory of his kindergarten bud, a six-year-old Massachusetts boy will attempt to play 100 holes of golf in a day to raise $7,500 for pediatric cancer research.

Ryan McGuire lost his 5-year-old friend Danny to a rare form of pediatric cancer in April. The heart-breaking loss clearly took a toll on Ryan, who felt compelled to do something in memory of his friend. He has already raised his initial goal of $5,000 and is looking to bring in more donations for cancer research.

If he is able to finish, Ryan will be the youngest competitor to complete 100 holes in a day.

From CBS Boston:

“He was a good boy. He was a really nice friend,” Ryan told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Lana Jones. “I liked to play with him and read books with him.”

Ryan’s grandfather, who beat prostate cancer, will be his caddy on June 17 at MGA Links in Norton. Ryan would be the youngest to ever complete 100 holes of golf in a single day.

“I’ll probably take breaks and have food,” Ryan said.

Ryan says he’s missed his friend Danny. When Danny died, his class let go of balloons in the playground at recess.

“You could actually still see them when they were just like dots,” Ryan said.

His mother asked, “Where did they go?”

“To heaven, probably,” Ryan said.

Here is Ryan’s note from his “Golf Fights Cancer” donation page.

Hi. My name is Ryan McGuire and I’m almost 6 years old. I love sports. Especially golf. On Wednesday, June 17th, I get to skip school and play as many holes of golf as I can to raise money in memory of my friend, Danny. Some people I know have had cancer and are OK now. I want to help Danny’s doctor so kids with DIPG have more hope to beat their cancer, too. All of the money I raise with go towards Dr. Mark Kieran’s research at Dana Farber. Thank you for helping me towards my goal of $5,000. And thanks for your gift in memory of Danny.

…

About Danny’s Cancer: Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma is a high-grade, inoperable brain tumor that strikes at the heart of childhood. It occurs in pons of the brainstem, and is considered to be the deadliest and most aggressive of all pediatric cancers. Solving DIPG is also believed to hold the key to curing many types of cancer, which is why this research is so critical.

That’s one cool kid. If you feel compelled to give money or leave Ryan a nice note, you can do so here..

[via CBS Boston]

Image via CBS Boston