Overwhelming grace raises funds for girl with cancer

The plight of an 11-year-old Phoenix girl with bone cancer drew more than 100 supporters to a rainy Oct. 5 golf tournament, raffles and silent auction at Cape Girardeau Country Club, where they exceeded the $5,000 fundraising goal.

Benefiting Faith Moore, the Friends for Faith Tournament was suggested by her grandmother, Shirley Moore of Cape Girardeau, and organized in three weeks by her aunt, local obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Wendi Carns, and others.

Faith's dad Chandler Moore, an Arby's Restaurant Group executive in Phoenix, Ariz. said having 80 golfers, 50 to 60 raffle items, 40 to 50 items for the silent auction and lunch donated by Buffalo Wild Wings were a lot more than he, a relative stranger, had expected. "It's overwhelming how much support we have," said Moore, a native of Phoenix and graduate of Missouri Military Academy at Mexico.

"Faith was diagnosed Aug. 12 with Ewing's sarcoma in her left leg after a limp she had was not getting better. Her cancer is localized. It hasn't metastasized, and the doctors give her an 80 percent chance of survival. She is very positive. Her nickname at Phoenix Children's Hospital is 'Smiley.'

"I ask her, 'Why don't you cry or get mad?' and she says, 'I have to go to the hospital anyway, so I just deal with it with a smile.' She's doing better than her mom."

Wendi Carns speaks to the golfers at the start of the Friends for Faith golf tournament Oct. 5 at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. The event was to benefit Carns’ niece, Faith Moore, who has been diagnosed with bone cancer. (Fred Lynch)

Moore's wife Becky stayed home in Phoenix with Faith, who is receiving chemotherapy in preparation for November surgery during which her left femur, or thigh bone, and part of her hip will be removed; however, her leg will be saved and periodically extended until she grows up.

Chandler Moore's and Dr. Carns' father is retired Dr. Mel Moore. "It's a pricey ordeal," said Carns, who went to Phoenix "to translate the terminology and help them understand what they're going through." Carns' husband Dan is a financial adviser.

The siblings conceded some anxiety at 8 a.m. Saturday with long rows of white, rain-spattered golf carts waiting just off the country club veranda and the rain still coming rather stubbornly; however, the showers had almost stopped a half-hour later as the 9 a.m. tee time neared for the boys, girls, men and women showing up to play.

Sputtering intermittently, the rain held off most of the morning until lunchtime and the silent auction, when a disc jockey uncorked his CDs and bids were taken for wine baskets, pedicure parties, wreaths, crafts, jewelry, flower arrangements, St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia, house- and yard-cleaning services and other things. Then the showers returned and held steady through most of the afternoon.

The top golfers were Colleen Moore, Dave Rotolo, Mark Schultz and Bryan Wolff, first place in the A flight; Chris Bickings, Levi Felter, Jason Bickings and Shawn Heuring, second place in the A flight; Irene Thomas, Boyd Thomas, Claire Kneer and Nathan Karnes, first place in the B flight; and Corey Campbell, Chad Dougherty, Eric Ticer and Brad Isaac, second place in the B flight.

Carns was substantially helped by her daughter Katherine and niece Kady, Faith's 8-year-old sister, Bill and Angie Tegel and Amy McDonald, who lent her experience with golf tournaments, she said, adding that the website fixfaithsfemur.com was also instrumental with its story, blogs and photos.

Carns said the Ewing's sarcoma of old always necessitated amputation, but contemporary advances often enable doctors to save the affected limb. She said the malady is most common in boys during the early teen years.

"The tournament was fantastic," she said the next day. Nobody wants to think about their own child having cancer. The grace is overwhelming. It's something you don't find in a big city. My soul was filled yesterday," Carns said.