Pro Golfer Val Skinner Shares Latest in Breast Cancer Research

As part of Make a Difference Week, Steve Adubato goes one-on-one with Val Skinner, professional golfer and founder of the Val Skinner Foundation, who talks about the latest research in breast cancer and fundraising initiatives, and tournaments like the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

5/4/18 #2138

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

"The public television family is honored to have back with us the Val Skinner, LPGA Tour professional golf analyst, and founder of the Val Skinner Foundation. How you doing? I'm good. I came to see if your golf game's any better. Okay, you're gonna hit me right away? I thought you'd wait at least a minute for that. You know, you played in the very first event we hosted to support the foundation. You were... I did. You were part of the best looking guy in the audience, and I was like, "Let me see a swing!" You're like... [laughter] "What's he have?" Yeah, I remember you saw... "Does he have anything real?""What's going on?" Yeah, I know. Don't even talk about it. [laughter] I've been a 13-14 forever. Yeah. It looks pretty good to me. Yeah, leave it at that. Hey, by the way, talk about the LIFE Event. Make sure everybody understands why it's so important. LIFE is "LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer". I founded it in 2000. We're on our 18th. I can't believe it. A lot of money raised at this point. We're... from the event itself, we're at about 11,000,000. But beyond that, we've raised money for a couple additional events that we do, and different things that we've gotten into over the years, but it's the best women golfers in the world gathered here, coming right off the ShopRite Classic, and it's been really successful and healthy and we have a number of programs to tell you about, but it's really... You know, LIFE came out of our dear friend, Heather Farr, who you know... That's right. ...we lost at 28, misdiagnosed at 24, and I launched a national campaign for young women because she asked me to. And I didn't know how to do it. But I came up with the name, and then... Right. ...you know, just tried to find good life partners and corporate sponsorships to help us raise money and get to that point. And the professional golfers continue to be committed? They do. Because? I think because, you know, once we started to tell the story, they really understood. A, they have a platform. They can make a difference. They can speak to people that, you know, in an unusual way, that a lot of people can't reach that many people. And I think also, there were young women, and they were athletic, and you know, all of them are athletic. And Heather was athletic, and smart, and a rising star, and on her way, and this hit her, and she had no idea to think that it was real at that point. And that..."