Professional Golfers Fighting Pediatric Cancer

Ian’s Friends Foundation Inspires PGA Stars to Wear Blue Belts

Dec 21, 2008

When Ian Yagoda was two-years old and diagnosed with a brain tumor, he and his family never would have believed their most passionate supporters would be pro golfers.

Ian’s father and mother, Phil and Cheryl Yagoda, were devastated by the news of the disease their son was facing–type-2 astrocytoma–but also shocked to learn that there was little research being done in this area. The medical community continued to fight for funding, but hadn’t been terribly successful.

“We were told there were some thirty-thousand cases of the disease across the county, which seemed like a huge number, certainly to the parent of a child. If it was one it was a big number,” said Phil Yagoda.

But in reality, as diseases go, that number was not big enough for an influx of funding to cover the expensive research. Still, the Yagoda family wasn’t about to give up.

Ian’s Friends Foundation Created

“We can’t do nothing,” said Phil Yagoda. “So my wife and I decided to create the Ian’s Friends Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to support of pediatric brain research, and see how we can create awareness.”

That’s when the idea of an identifiable symbol was born, like the Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG bracelet. The first consideration was the PGA Tour, the Professional Golfers’ Association members who play in weekly tournaments across the USA.

“These guys are always on TV, and they’re into fashion. Why not?” said Phil.

The House of Fleming in Atlanta manufactures premier leather products using alligator skin. Phil recently bought Ian an electric blue leather belt from the company, a vibrant recognizable accessory. The belt seemed the perfect symbol.

“We got guys like Sergio Garcia, and Ian Poulter, and Adam Scott, and Jim Furyk, and Stewart Cink to wear the belts,” said Phil. “These guys really understood what was going on, wanted to help. It was a sign of solidarity.”

Charity Work by Pro Golfers

The blue belts were worn regularly on the PGA Tour in the 2008 season, and the awareness of the need for research on pediatric brain tumors has risen, according to IFF. Tour players say they’ll do it again when the 2009 season begins in January. But the Yagoda family isn’t sitting still. It’s now asking for support from the public and is offering the belt for $1000 online at the Ian’s Friends Foundation website.

One of the leading pediatric brain surgeons in the country, Dr. Mark Souweidane, runs a lab at the Weil-Cornell University Hospital in New York City. The Yagoda family has identified his work as the focal point for its awareness and donation campaign.

Dr. Souweidane, in the recent New York-Presbyterian Children’s Health newsletter article “Treatment Advances in Pediatric Endoscopic Neurosurgery” is quoted as calling the disease a challenging one. “The variable diseases that occur in the brain, from the standpoint of pediatric brain tumors, is huge. It’s very variable. It’s not as structured as it is in adult brain tumor work. There’s many, many different types of tumors,” said Dr. Souweidane.

“Ian is stable, right now, thank God,” said Phil of his now 3-year old son. “But I can’t tell you now many phone calls I get from parents whose children are not.”

The copyright of the article Professional Golfers Fighting Pediatric Cancer in PGA Tour is owned by David Berner. Permission to republish Professional Golfers Fighting Pediatric Cancer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.