CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A group of childhood friends is turning grief into giving this Brain Cancer Awareness Month, hosting an annual golf tournament to honor a classmate who died from glioblastoma.
Kevin Harding, a native of Amelia County, died in 2024 from glioblastoma, the most aggressive and common brain cancer in adults.
His wife, Debbie, said the disease's impact on his mind made it especially devastating.
"Kevin was a highly intelligent person, and it was heartbreaking because this cancer, it affects your brain, it affects how you think," Debbie said. "And when he couldn't say certain words or come out with what he wanted to say, I immediately knew there was something wrong."
Debbie said her husband never met a stranger and loved farming.
The couple lived on his family farm, and Kevin worked for the Department of Agriculture for more than two decades before his retirement.
His friends, including Amelia County High School classmate Carlos Mondrey, organized the annual Kevin Harding Memorial Golf Tournament to honor Kevin, raise money for cancer treatment and promote agriculture.
At Friday's tournament, two Amelia County High School students pursuing degrees in agriculture will each receive $2,500 scholarships.
Organizers will also make a $5,000 donation to the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in Kevin's honor.
Debbie and Mondrey want others facing a brain cancer diagnosis to speak up and lean on those around them.
"Don't be trying to just stay inside and try to hide your illness or how poorly you may feel," Debbie said. "Make other people aware. Pay attention to your symptoms but always try to stay positive and rely on your family and friends."
Mondrey echoed that message.
"You're not alone," Mondrey said. "I mean, I think it's one of those things where as you get out and you talk to people and you kind of expose what we're doing and how we're doing, there's a lot of people that are actually going through the same thing, whether it's brain cancer or some other kind of cancer."
The third annual tournament kicks off Friday, May 15 at 11 a.m. at Lake Chesdin Golf Club in Chesterfield.
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