TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, The Stratton Ovarian Cancer Foundation (SOCF) is hosting their 2025 golf tournament Saturday, September 13.
All proceeds that SOCF raises helps women battling ovarian cancer cover their rent and mortgage payments during treatment.
The woman behind the mission is ovarian cancer survivor Angie Kuzma.
She was diagnosed in 2018 and had to travel across the country for treatment to get the best care possible.
She went into remission in 2019 and knew she had to help other women after seeing how much it financially takes a toll.
That's when SOCF was born.
“We wanted to be able to pay for Airbnb’s so that women did feel like they can go to the better specialists and clinics and stuff," Kuzma said. "So we would pay for temporary housing, so they can get chemo and all their treatments and even just a second opinion.”
Kuzma wasn’t alone in creating the organization. Pete Peterson, her business partner at Stratton Real Estate Group and co-founder of SOCF, says their work in real estate helped inspire the organization’s mission.
“Kind of watching Angie go through that. Not being able to work and then having your bills come due, knowing that you’ve got rent, knowing that you have mortgage bills coming every month, we just felt because we were in that industry, in the real estate space — that’s just a really cool way to give back to our community," Peterson said.
Kuzma says ovarian cancer is misdiagnosed a lot because of the intestinal issues, so make sure you listen to your body.
“ I try to be advocate of just helping women remember if you feel something, just get it checked," Kuzma said. "If something is wrong, keep fighting until you get an answer. I had a tumor that was eight pounds and they still said they didn't think it was cancer."
There are 125 golfers participating in the tournament.
All the spots are full, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pitch in.
There is a silent auction going on until 1 p.m. Saturday September 13 with gifts you don’t want to miss out on.
There’s stuff for everybody from self-care baskets to whiskey lovers to sports fanatics.
To name a few items, there's a signed Taylor Swift guitar, signed Kobe Bryant plaque, basket full of different kinds of whiskey, a trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, trip to Cancun, massage gift card and so much more.
The goal to reach is $75,000.
Learn more about SOCF here.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
