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Golf Tournament Information and Registration
Saturday, August 10, 2024
7:30am registration | 8:00am shotgun start
This Year's Recipients
JP Eykyn
In October of 2023, we started noticing JP was getting headaches and would get very pale doing his everyday activities. We originally thought it was the aftermath of a wisdom tooth JP got out in August, but then noticed things were getting worse during a weekend full of hunting, engagement pictures, and picking up our new puppy, Koda. On Monday (10/16) JP went in for some basic blood testing, and got some very abnormal results. By Monday afternoon, he was admitted to St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester for further testing and a bone marrow biopsy. Tuesday (10/17), JP was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This is a form of blood cancer in the blood and bone marrow. With AML, your bone marrow makes immature blood cells. They crowd your blood and bone marrow, leaving less room for healthy cells.
His treatment plan was aggressive as he was young and otherwise healthy. JP spent the first four weeks in Rochester, getting his first round of chemo, then staying for observation and transfusions as needed. From there on out, he spent one week in the hospital for chemotherapy, and then 4-5 weeks at home, going to Mankato 3-7 days a week depending on his counts and when transfusions were needed. During this time JP had to be very careful as his immune system was at zero, and we always had to be watching for fevers.
I write this on May 21st, just seven months after JP’s first round of chemo. And, as long as his bone marrow biopsy comes back clean (5/28), he will be considered to be in complete remission. He will continue blood tests for years to come, to ensure he is still cancer free. While these last few months have been hard, we have had the best support systems and teams of health care professionals helping us. JP has loved being back at work and starting to get back into some normal everyday things again. But, more than anything, he cannot wait to take Koda hunting this fall.
Corey Youngberg
My cancer journey began in 2016 when it was brought to my attention that I was anemic via a routine physical examination and blood work. I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma that Fall of 2016 and had my right kidney removed shortly after the discovery.
A year later in the Fall of 2017, scans revealed that the kidney cancer had metastasized to my left lung. I then had my lower left lobe of my lung removed surgically. Over the next 18 months I was monitored with CT scans and they appeared clear until 2019; the kidney cancer was back and prostate cancer was detected. Despite having two surgeries on major organs to remove the cancer, the 2019 treatment for prostate cancer was a very physically taxing treatment. At this time I qualified for disability benefits and officially moved to retirement.
After a year of treatment, in the Summer of 2020, I had my final radiation treatment for prostate cancer and this was successful! It took a while for the side effects to subside but it was worth it. After the extensive treatment and side effects, I wanted a break from everything.
Unfortunately, in 2022 I returned to the doctor for back and shoulder pain; scans soon revealed that the renal cancer reappeared in my lungs, spine and shoulder. My spine and shoulder underwent radiation and I started immunotherapy treatment.
By Spring of 2023, I had lost over one hundred pounds and was not getting many positive results. A tumor in my lung pinched a bronchial tube which limited my ability to exhale. After more targeted radiation, my breathing improved.
One year ago I was given six months to a year to live. Treatment was changed again to an oral chemotherapy medication and after a few months of medication adjustments things started to improve. I feel better and have gained 30 pounds and physical strength. Although my new normal is very limited, I feel the best that I’ve felt in over a year.