Zachary Shawahan

Hello All,

While I write to you all today, let me express my sincerest thanks to you for taking the time to read my reflection and your support for the Cutting Cancer Golf Outing. I have had the absolute pleasure and honor of working with Achintya to help coordinate and plan this outing to give back to the people he has been working with the most. My reflection is much like the story many of you have dealt with and that is having a family member, friend, loved one, or anyone else you know go through cancer. While you have already read through Achintya’s story, I would like to talk about the legacy of my grandmother and her fight against this evil condition.

Cancer seemingly affects everyone. Millions of people across the globe every year suffer the same news that hit Achintya and my grandmother which is the diagnosis of some type of cancer. My grandmother was your typical grandmother who held the secrets to all different types of sugary recipes and always knew how to put a smile on your face. She was kind, caring, funny, selfless, and one of the most pure souls that I have ever known. People from all walks of life simply knew her as “Grandma Jo” because she treated everyone, young and old, with the same love and respect you would expect from a grandmother. I cherish the memories that I had with my grandma and will never forget some of the lessons she taught me throughout my life. I will also always appreciate the people who took care of her and my family during the most difficult times in her fight against cancer.

While cancer from an outside perspective can surely be exhausting, it is nothing compared to what the patient is going through in their battle. While we may not see a cure for cancer in our lifetimes, we strive to make these battles less and less strenuous on the people that need this care the most. I saw this evil condition take one of the greatest people on this earth away from me and that is why I chose to fight against it. That is why this outing was created. We believe that golf, a game that we all cherish, can make a difference in the lives of patients who need our help. We have chosen a fund that is reputable and we know where exactly all of our contributions are going towards. I hope that with your help we can make a difference through the game of golf and we can continue to live out the legacy that my grandmother would have loved to be a part of. Thank you all.

Zachary Shawahan

Zachary Shawahan