Back in 2003, the members of the Country Meadows Seniors Men's Golf Club decided to donate all proceeds of their annual charity golf tournament to prostate cancer research.
Little did they know that 10 years later, their contributions would directly help in the discovery of a groundbreaking drug, made by Dr. Marianne Sadar at the BC Cancer Agency which is believed to overcome treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
"We're a club of 160 men over the age of 65," said Lorne Carney, a member of the charity committee. "This disease affects one in six men, so we thought, why not help a cause that will affect us. Many of our members have passed away because of it and four men have it now."
The new drug begins clinical trials early next year and is believed to shrink cancerous tumours and have applications for certain types of breast and ovarian cancers, according to Carney.
"It's very gratifying to be making such a difference," said Carney. "Also, to know the implications it has for other types of cancers is really fantastic as well."
One of the club's members, Harold Mahood, introduced Dr. Sadar to the group in 2003 when she was just starting out as a research scientist.
The members decided that 100 per cent of proceeds from the tournament would go to her research and would help equip her lab.
They played the latest round at the Annual Charity Golf Classic this past Friday, Sept. 6, raising $138,000, bringing the total to $850,000 for Dr. Sadar and her prostate cancer research.
The money will continue to support Dr. Sadar, as the new drug, EPI-001 enters Phase One clinical trial.
"There used to be a time when men were a lot more reluctant to talk about prostate cancer," said Carney. "That's changing now, there's been a lot more awareness. Now, people are starting to understand it and see that it really is the worst cancer for men."
All 140 spots for the tournament were filled Friday and each player paid a $125 participation fee. Other donations come from the Lohn Foundation and small businesses.
