The 1st Annual Leonard Memorial Golf Tournament was held on Friday, September 17, 2021. The tournament hosted 60 golfers followed by a cookout that included a silent auction and tournament prizes. Over $15,000 was donated in Leonard’s (Len’s) name to GO2 for Lung Cancer. We sat down with Len’s daughter, Leah Cabeceiras, who organized the event, to learn more.

“My dad was an incredible person. He grew up playing hockey, and he loved to run, ski, and golf. He was the picture of health to so many. He was known to share words of wisdom and life lessons when you needed to hear them the most. He also never got a Jeopardy question wrong.

His lung cancer diagnosis was a shock to all who knew him. Just two weeks before his hospitalization, he was playing 18 holes of golf and living life normally.

One day in June of 2020 he woke up not feeling well, and in the blink of an eye he was admitted to a nearby hospital in the neuro ICU.

Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, he had lung cancer which had already spread throughout his body, including his brain. He was brought to the hospital because of neurological symptoms.

About a week and a half after arriving at a hospital in Boston, after tissue testing and countless CT scans, my dad’s oncologist shared his diagnosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with the EGFR mutation. His doctors shared that this diagnosis was very rare, and also perplexing, given that my dad never smoked nor had worked with any kind of harmful chemicals in his lifetime. His hospital stay totaled 46 days, during which he fought bravely until the day he passed away. I continue to look up to him each and every day.

To be honest, when I first started thinking about creating this fundraiser I was hesitant. My father had passed away less than a year before and I wasn’t sure if planning something like this would be too much for me both mentally and emotionally. I am so happy that I went through with it because I found the planning process, and the event itself, to be therapeutic.  I know I made a difference by spreading awareness about lung cancer and GO2 for Lung Cancer, raising money for such an incredible cause, and honoring my father and his memory all at the same time. It brought me so much joy to see everyone coming together in my father’s memory.

If you are looking for a special way to honor a loved one, consider hosting your own fundraising page or event. Visit our community fundraising page to learn more.