Cancer survivor lives for moment like this
‘When he came in for that hug, I was out of my mind’
Stacy Hurt’s life has been filled with emotion, some better than others.
She was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer on her 44th birthday in 2014 that also spread to her lungs and lymph nodes. When she asked her oncologist her chances of survival, he didn’t answer her.
“I just really wanted to hear him say, ‘You’re going to beat this,’ and he didn’t say that,” Hurt said.
But after 55 chemotherapy treatments and radiation to her lungs, the former Norwin High School volleyball player beat the 10% survival rate and was declared cancer-free in October 2016. Since then, she has done a lot of advocacy work for colon cancer, helping to spread the word on social media.
Little did she know that would lead to a once-in-a-lifetime moment — a lifetime she wasn’t sure she would ever see — that included a meeting and even a hug from her all-time favorite golfer, Phil Mickelson.
Hurt, a North Huntington native who lives in South Fayette, was chosen by the Colon Cancer Coalition to be paired virtually with a player competing in last weekend’s Cologard Classic on the PGA Tour Champions. That meant each player in the field wore a ribbon with the name of the survivor during the tournament in Tucson, Ariz.
Hurt did not find out which player would be wearing her name until Feb. 19, a week before the start of the 54- hole event and when Mickelson, coincidentally, entered the tournament.
“I was freaking out; he’s my all-time favorite golfer,” Hurt said. “He’s Phil Mickelson. He epitomizes everything I’m about — always handling yourself with class.”
Because she already had received her second vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, and with prodding from her husband, Drew, Hurt decided to fly to Tucson to attend the tournament, where she served as an honorary observer. She was told there was no guarantee she would meet Mickelson, though the five-time major champion did record a personal video message for her that she received the day before leaving for the tournament.
“I was just going to get a massage, get some sunshine, look at the palm trees,” Hurt said. “But what happened exceeded all expectations.”
Before the start of the second round, Hurt was standing on the No. 1 tee when Mickelson was introduced to her. She was surprised yet thrilled when Mickelson said, “You gotta bring it in,” and gave her a hug. He also gave her a signed golf glove that said, “Stacy, pulling for your success.”
After Mickelson showed her the ribbon with her name that he was wearing on his hat, Hurt asked Mickelson if she could give him another hug. Lefty quickly obliged.
“When he came in for that hug, I was out of my mind,” Hurt said. “I mean, he hugged me. I lost it.”
Hurt was introduced on the first tee by the public address announcer as the honorary observer, which meant she got to walk with Mickelson’s group. Along the way, she hooked up with Mickelson’s wife, Amy, who is a breast cancer survivor. They talked for a long time.
“Being a fellow survivor, I wore a pink ribbon,” Hurt said. “Phil was wearing a ribbon for me as a colon cancer survivor, I wanted to wear a pink ribbon for her as a breast cancer survivor.”
But that wasn’t the end of it. Before Sunday’s round, Mickelson presented Hurt with the hat he wore the day before and signed it, “Stacy, you are inspiring.” Pinned to the hat was the ribbon he wore bearing her name. He also gave her a signed golf ball. (Mickelson rarely signs golf balls.)
Later that day, Hurt introduced herself to Ernie Els, explaining to the four-time major champion that she also has a special-needs son, Emmett, who is 15. Els and his wife, Liezl, have a son, Ben, who is autistic that led them to form the Els for Autism Foundation.
Els put his arm around Hurt and walked with her to the scoring area. He went in to sign his card and returned to talk to her for 10 minutes.
It was a special time for Hurt, who five years ago wondered if she would ever live to experience such an emotional, memorable weekend.
“I turned 50 in September and I just hit cancer-free for five years in October,” Hurt said. “Despite all this COVID, I had a great 2020.”