Sarah Kennedy: Dribbling & Fundraising for a Brighter Future
When Sarah Kennedy says her family has many ties to the Duke Blue Devils, she really means it.
Her dad, Leo, was a proud alum. Her mom, Anita, worked at Duke University Medical Center. Her parents were married at the Duke University Chapel on campus. Both Sarah and her brother were born at Duke Hospital. Sarah herself was also married at Duke Chapel. This is a community that has meant a lot to her family through the years in their most joyous moments and in some of their hardest.
In October 2023, Sarah and her family returned to Duke’s campus for the first time since they’d lost her mom to an aggressive form of kidney cancer earlier in the year. Although it was hard to be there without her, the family traveled together from Florida to Durham to attend Duke’s Dribble for Victory Over Cancer event in her honor.
This event, a unique partnership with Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, the V Foundation, and university basketball teams nationwide, is an opportunity to raise critical funds for pediatric cancer research. Participants are invited for a morning of dribbling a one-mile loop around campus alongside the players and coaches. All proceeds from Duke’s Dribble event benefit pediatric cancer research at Duke Children’s Hospital.
“Our friend told us about this event shortly after my mom passed away,” said Kennedy. “We love basketball and we always look forward to trips to Durham, so this was perfect. My dad was so passionate about it and wanted to raise awareness.”
Sarah’s mom battled the disease for more than three years, and while it was not an easy road, her treatments did give her more time, even getting to meet her first grandchild.
Having seen first-hand how valiantly her mom faced the many challenges and discomforts of her cancer battle, Sarah knew that she wanted to put her energy into driving forward research and improving treatment options. “It’s not fair,” she said. “It’s not fair for any person to go through, but I couldn’t imagine a little kid dealing with that. You want them to still be able to be a kid.”
In addition to the special experience of spending time with the Duke men’s basketball team, Sarah’s favorite moment of the Dribble event was seeing her dad’s joy when it all came together. His tireless fundraising efforts led to more than $10,000 raised for game-changing pediatric cancer research. “He’s so competitive, but this was for all the right reasons,” she said. “He was so excited and proud to be able to get others involved and show how important it was to our family.”
Their team, “Team Mama Hearn,” was the top fundraising group in the 2023 event. The family was thrilled to make this an annual event with her dad, Leo, at the helm. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in December 2023, but Sarah is determined to carry on her parents’ passion and legacy.
She will be attending the 2024 Dribble for Victory Over Cancer event again this year with family and friends, and has already raised more than $6,300 for the event. Although she’ll be missing her bright and enthusiastic dad, she knows how proud he would be to see his family continuing to fight for young patients.
Even with the losses Sarah has endured, she has hope for a brighter future because of the community, passion and efforts of so many who are committed to Victory Over Cancer®.
