A young boy is setting out to play an ambitious round of golf -- not just for the love of the game, but for the love of a friend.
Ryan McGuire, 6, aims to play 100 holes of golf to raise money for research, in memory of a young friend who died from brain cancer, Today.com reports.
"I said no at first, but then I thought more about it, and he was so amped up about it,'' Ryan’s mother, Cheryl McGuire, told Today.com about the event, which will take place on June 17.
Ryan lost his friend, 6-year-old Danny Nickerson, to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in April. In the months prior to his death caused by the rare form of brain cancer, Danny received over 100,000 cards from strangers all over the world, the Washington Post reported. Today, Ryan is continuing the love and support for Danny.
"He was a really nice friend," Ryan told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "I liked to play with him and read books with him."
To honor Danny’s memory, Ryan will attempt the 100 holes of golf at MGA Links in Norton, Massachusetts, Today.com reports. Having never played more than 16 holes of golf, Ryan will play the entire game without a cart. His grandfather, a prostate cancer survivor, will be his caddy. Even if Ryan doesn’t make the full 100 holes, his kindergarten classmates will finish up the game with him.
“I’ll probably take breaks and have food,” Ryan told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
The effort is part of a larger fundraising effort by the organization Golf Fights Cancer, of which Cheryl McGuire is the program director. Ryan’s initial goal, according his fundraising page, was $15,000. As of Thursday afternoon, he has already raised over $8,000. The money will fund the research of Danny’s doctor, Dr. Mark Kiernan, at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
“Some people I know have had cancer and are OK now,” Ryan says on the page. “ I want to help Danny's doctor so kids with DIPG have more hope to beat their cancer, too.”
