Battle with cancer emboldens Yelverton

The 2011 edition of the Carolinas GCSA conference and trade show, which wrapped up its run earlier this week in Myrtle Beach, S.C., brought with it the usual assortment of quality education and a vibrant trade show experience that has made it one of the most anticipated regional events of the year.

But attendees this year walked away with more than just a few new educational points and information about the latest products and services in the golf course management industry. They also carried home a powerful message delivered by one of the industry’s most well-known turfgrass researchers about his deeply personal battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., the renowned weed scientist from North Carolina State and the featured speaker during Wednesday morning’s Fellowship Breakfast, was first diagnosed with the disease — along with a corresponding diagnosis of chronic leukemia — in July of 2009. 

The news was like a bolt out of the blue to Yelverton. At the time of the diagnosis, he was a picture of good health, at least outwardly. He was a dedicated runner and cyclist who had just completed his first marathon. There were none of the usual red flags in his past, no family history with the disease to warn of its potential. He had been a stickler for regular, annual visits to his doctor.

“There were no symptoms at all, “ he said. “None.”

But one of those check-ups with his doctor turned up something, and Yelverton was soon fighting the biggest battle of his life. He underwent surgery that removed lymph nodes and ultimately identified the chronic leukemia he was also dealing with. He had 33 consecutive days of radiation treatments.

But as he addressed the more than 100 superintendents and industry patrons who attended the Fellowship Breakfast, a mere two-and-a-half years removed from the initial diagnoses, Yelverton is disease free, although nowhere close to out of the woods. Because the form of prostate cancer he dealt with was so aggressive, it will be at least a decade, with check-ups every 90 days, before doctors will give him a total clean bill of health.

During his presentation, Yelverton shared some of the strategies that helped carry him through the last two year, including a message that getting back to living and carrying on with your life can work wonders.

“Don’t ask ‘why me?’ because there is no answer to that question,” he said. “If something has no answer, then don’t waste time worrying about it.”

He also preached the importance of a positive attitude while going through something like a fight with cancer. “Cancer has been a very life-enriching experience for me, as odd as I know that sounds,” he said. “I’ve had to reorder priorities, take a new look at what was really important in my life. When I say it’s been a blessing to me, I really mean that.”