Midwest Sports Productions is very proud to be hosting the 2nd Annual Swing for the Cure event May 25-27, 2012 at Prairie Center Sports Complex in Olathe, KS.

 As many of you know Cancer is a general name for over 100 different diseases. There are many different types of cancer but they all begin as a group of abnormal cells which grow out of control. If these cells are not treated they can cause serious illness as well as death. According to the American Cancer Society 1/2 of men and 1/3 of women will develop cancer in their lifetime. I'm sure each one of you reading this knows someone, whether it be a family member or a friend who has or has had cancer.

In November of 2007 our oldest son; Hooty (Jimmie), had a lump removed below his ear. Everyone said it was nothing to worry about. A week later we were told it was a tumor of the Salivary Gland. As our son went through the physical and emotional anguish of having cancer our entire family life was reconstructed. The things we thought were so important really weren’t so important any more. We were able to get our priorities back in order. His cancer renewed our walk with Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17.

Hooty, started playing baseball at age 4. He has loved and played the game since that time. He was diagnosed with cancer during his sophomore year at Olathe North high school. He was taking radiation treatments during the spring baseball season which ended his high school career. In the fall of 2008 Hooty played baseball for Tom Urquhart, Urquhart School of Baseball, on a college prep/showcase team. Later that year he received a baseball scholarship from Ottawa University. To date he is a Sophomore at Ottawa University and is still playing the game he loved as a little boy. As of this year, Hooty has been cancer free for 3 years.

Shortly after Hooty’s surgery I felt I needed to do something big. After much thought and deliberation with the family, I decided to organize a baseball tournament. I wanted to have a tournament for many different reasons. One reason was to recognize, not just my son but, ALL Cancer survivors and victims. I think many people see cancer as a weakness.  After watching Hooty go through surgery and radiation treatments, what seemed to weaken his physical body, seemed to also give him an inner strength.

Many weekends were spent at the ball field, including Sunday mornings for tournaments. A dad on the team asked me once, why do they schedule games on Sunday morning, when some of us want to be in church, I simply said I didn’t know? As plans began to come together for this tournament, I didn’t want someone else to be able to ask that question, so with the help of our Pastor, Derek Varney and First Baptist Church we are going to have a mini worship service on Sunday the weekend of the tournament. Once we decided on the tournament, I called Jeremy McDowell with Midwest Sports Productions. Jeremy offered to help and donate his time to help us raise awareness and raise money to help find a cure for this disease. FBC, First Baptist Church is also helping unconditionally in this event.

We did not want to make this the “Hooty” tournament but a tournament to benefit Cancer victims, survivors and families that have fought and are still fighting this disease by helping to find a cure. We want to donate the money above the cost of the actual tournament expenses to the KU Cancer Center to help find a cure.

We invite you to come out to the tournament and be a part of the events we are planning for the weekend. During the worship service Hooty will give his testimony on Sunday morning at the fields before the games begin later that day. Please come out and help us Swing for the Cure.