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Mayberry Memorial Golf Classic Makes a Mark for Lung Cancer
May 2009
In the game of golf, a marker is placed on the green to indicate a ball’s position while other golfers are putting.
In cancer treatment, a biomarker is used to see how well the body is responding to treatment for a disease or condition.
Both types of makers in a sense crossed paths Oct. 3 in Toledo, Ohio, as part of a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment. Of the $22,500 raised at the inaugural Mayberry Memorial Golf Classic at the Toledo Country Club, $11,250 will benefit M. D. Anderson's landmark package of clinical trials (an "umbrella trial" plus four Phase II clinical trials) known collectively as the Biomarker-based Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination, or BATTLE.
The event is in memory of Bob Mayberry, originally from Toledo, who succumbed to non-small cell lung cancer in October 2007. Through the golf tournament, organizers hope to raise awareness and funds to benefit lung cancer research at M. D. Anderson and the indigent fund at the Hickman Cancer Center in Toledo.
“I hope to be able to raise enough funds to pay for a biomarker,” said Diane Judah-Mayberry, who was married to Mayberry for nearly seven years.
BATTLE examines four treatment options against biomarkers representing four molecular pathways that fuel lung cancer and relies on core biopsies of patients’ tumors before and during the trial.
Funding a biomarker is significant, says Edward Kim, M.D., assistant professor in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology and BATTLE clinical trial principal investigator.
“Funding a biomarker is how people can contribute to research,” said Kim, who began treating Bob Mayberry in 2004.
Kim suggested a memorial fundraiser in Mayberry’s honor while attending a memorial service for him in Austin, Texas. Many of the memorial service attendees were Mayberry’s golf buddies and the idea for a golf-related fundraiser seem to naturally unfold.
Almost 100 golfers participated in this year's tournament, and plans have already been made for next year's Mayberry Memorial Golf Classic, Oct.2 at the Toledo Country Club.
On Oct. 17, 2009, a decades-themed dinner and dance will be held at the Brandywine Country Club, 6904 Salisbury Road, Maumee, OH, 43537. The fundraising event will feature food, beverages and music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.