Lung cancer survivor to play on U.S. Open course

7 May 2008 by Wendi Lewis under Events, News, People

atkinson 150x150 Lung cancer survivor to play on U.S. Open courseGolf Digest magazine announced John Atkinson, a stage IV lung cancer survivor, has been selected to play as part of a celebrity foursome at Torrey Pines, the same course played by the pros at this year’s . Atkinson will play with NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and recording artist Justin Timberlake. The event will be broadcast on NBC Sports on Sunday, June 15, from 2-3 p.m. (ET), in the hour leading into NBC’s broadcast of the final round.

Atkinson was selected from more than 56,000 entries, voted on by the magazine’s readers. Never a smoker, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer a little more than a year ago at age 38. He hopes to use the golf event as an opportunity to raise awareness for lung cancer funding and research.

In a press release from the Lung Cancer Alliance, which urged its members and supporters to vote for Atkinson, he is quoted as saying, “The game of golf to me is living. I am going out there to enjoy the golf course, to play a great round and to give to those who are faced with life threatening illnesses. If I can beat America’s deadliest cancer, then I can definitely break 100 [at Torrey Pines]. It’s going to be a great day, an emotional day, and I can’t wait.”

Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer, taking more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

To enter the contest, Atkinson submitted a 100-word essay describing why he could break 100 at Torrey Pines. Once being chosen as a finalist, he received more than 48,000 of the 117,000 votes cast in the first Contest, conducted by , the United States Golf Association, and NBC Sports. You can watch a video interview with Atkinson and read other features about the foursome at Golf Digest online.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 8:42 am and is filed under Events, News, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
  • Aileen

    Hi John,

    Just want to know if it is possible for me to get in touch with you even thru email. Your story had inspired me so much as my husband (40 yo non smoker) had been diagnosed with lung cancer (NSCLC 0 stage 3 or 4). I just want to ask for some advises from you on how we can beat this monster. I hope that you will reply to my request. I will really appreciate it if you can. I know how busy you are at the moment because of the U.S. open course you have joined. But I also know from the bottom of my heart that you will grant my request. I wish you all the best in your cause. Goodluck!

    Kind regards,

    Aileen Sebastian

  • http://www.mymeso.org Wendi Lewis

    Hi Aileen,

    I am so glad that John’s story inspired you! I know he must be excited to have the chance to talk about lung cancer and raise awareness. I got his story from the Lung Cancer Alliance. They tell me he has been swamped with requests and hasn’t been able to get to them all, but I have forwarded yours to them and they will get it to him. In the meantime, they ask that you contact them. They have a Survivors Community that may be able to help you and they can provide more information and resources. You can email them at info@lungcanceralliance.org and they will put someone in touch with you.

    I hope this helps, and God bless you and your husband as you face this challenge.

    Wendi

  • http://historic-cities.ru Amsterdam

    I’m glad to hear this!

  • http://www.mymeso.org/2008/06/03/atkinson-talks-to-espn2/ myMeso.org | Mesothelioma Blog » Blog Archive » Atkinson talks to ESPN2 about U.S. Open

    [...] few weeks ago, I talked about lung cancer survivor John Atkinson, who was selected by Golf Digest magazine to play the U.S. Open golf course on Father’s Day, [...]

  • Abdul Sumar

    Good information, and I wish best of luck to John Atkinson on his mission to spread the awareness of lung cancer funding and its importance… Among the most deadliest type of lung cancers is mesothelioma, “Mesothelioma stands for tumor of middle lining tissues. It is an unusual and rare type of lung cancer that arises from the cells that form a membrane with the abdominal cavity of the body (also known as the peritoneal membrane or the peritoneum). Source: http://www.themesotheliomalibrary.com The disease has an occurence of 2000 – 3000 new cases a year.

  • Abdul Sumar

    Good information, and I wish best of luck to John Atkinson on his mission to spread the awareness of lung cancer funding and its importance… Among the most deadliest type of lung cancers is mesothelioma, “Mesothelioma stands for tumor of middle lining tissues. It is an unusual and rare type of lung cancer that arises from the cells that form a membrane with the abdominal cavity of the body (also known as the peritoneal membrane or the peritoneum). Source: http://www.themesotheliomalibrary.com The disease has an occurence of 2000 – 3000 new cases a year.

  • Anonymous

    Still, I stand a greater chance than most of you reading this of having lung cancer. It runs in my family. nhttp://www.mylungcancerguide.com/

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