Years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Loring continues to give back to research
What should have been an average Monday in 2008 turned into a day Loring Grove, then 52, would never forget. While leading her weekly department meeting at work, she got a call from her doctor: She had a tumor, and she would need surgery to remove it.
Despite the shock, Loring’s coworkers were immediately encouraging. “I shared with my team that I would be having surgery,” she says. “They were very supportive during this period and it helped me to power through.”
After a sentinel node mapping and lumpectomy, Loring’s doctors updated her diagnosis to stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. Fortunately, the cancer had not spread, and Loring was given multiple options for the next steps of treatment. She chose to do a partial breast irradiation, a radiation treatment specifically targeting the area where her tumor was found. A mammosite balloon was inserted into the space where the tumor was removed, followed by a week of radiation therapy. She also began taking Tamoxifen, an oral anti-estrogen drug used as a hormone therapy to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Parts of the experience were “strange and stressful,” she recalls. Luckily, the support of loved ones and her care team helped her through. Her father was there to drive her home from surgery, and as she recovered, her close friends came by regularly to offer their support and homemade meals.
“I felt very grateful to the kind doctors and nurses that helped me through this treatment,” she says.
Today, Loring is cancer-free and dedicated to supporting breast cancer research. She started the Pink Golf Tournament at the Glenhardle Country Club, which just concluded its sixth year. All proceeds from the event, which consists of a golf outing, luncheon, raffle, and silent auction, go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
“I understood from other friends at the club that I have not been alone in having the disease,” she says, explaining why she hosts the event. “I run it because I can, because some women have not been so lucky with their diagnoses.”
Loring’s connection to breast cancer goes beyond her own experience. Five women in her family, including her sister, have had breast cancer. This makes her all the more passionate about the importance of research. “There are too many unanswered questions,” Loring says of the disease. “Research is the only answer to solve these mysteries.”
She has seen the Pink Golf Tournament grow significantly as dedicated participants continue to come back year after year, sharing the joy of creating a space where people can connect while supporting a cause. “People always comment how much fun they have had and feel good about doing something for other people,” Loring says. “It is that enthusiasm that has kept me going each year.”
This year, Loring and the GCC Pink Golf Tournament raised $11,000 for BCRF, adding to the $27,000 donated since the event began in 2021.
Looking to start your own fundraiser to help fuel the research that will lead to tomorrow’s cures? Click here to learn more.
