DeWitt’s Liz Nagel Wins LPGA Award
Her acceptance speech is one everybody should see
By Tom Lang
Michigander Liz Nagel, who played golf at Michigan State University and has been playing on the LPGA and Epson Tour’s ever since, recently received the Heather Farr Perseverance Award, which honors an LPGA player who, through her hard work, dedication and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player.
Her acceptance speech was truly inspiring, and it barely touched on her cancer survival story, but it had words of support and wisdom for anyone in any area of life – especially women. It’s so important to read that we have transcribed it below:
Way to go Liz, and congratulations:
“There probably isn’t a single person in this room whose life hasn’t been touched by cancer. Some in big ways, and some a little less big, but none small and none, easy. I will spare you the cancer sucks speech, because I think we all know that already.
The truth is I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to say in this speech, I was a little overwhelmed that I even won this award, until I started reading a little bit more about Heather Farr. The very first article I pulled up gave me chills. I knew we were both golfers with big smiles, and fighting spirits, but I had no idea how similar our stories and journeys with cancer actually were.
She was 23 and I was 20 when we both heard the C word for the first time. We were both eventually told you’re too young to have cancer, and asked, how could this happen to someone so young? We were both at crucial times in our golf careers, hers a little further along at the time than mine, but both of our diagnosis shook both our families and our golfing families.
The love and support of those families were what helped both of us going forward. For me it was my family and my team and my coaches at Michigan State. For Heather it was her family and her LPGA family.
My favorite quote that I read about Heather was from Nancy Lopez; she said ‘Heather was a little bundle of special.’ And Heather’s sister, Missy, said, ‘Heather just had a light to her.’
One in two man, and one in three women will get cancer at some point in their life, so I am not standing up here as a unique situation. I represent all of us. I represent all cancer fighters and survivors. I represent people living without a major organ in their body. I represent everyone who has to rely on taking a pill every day for their body to feel ‘normal.’ I represent those who have had to deal with quirks after having surgery, because my neck will forever tilt a little bit this way now (leaning to her left).
I represent the daily struggle we all face. Minor things like adjusting to changes in temperature, and feeling tired and a little bit foggy, but really I represent all of the members of this Tour, because we are all persevering something.
And our struggles do not define us, but they do prove how strong we are. I’m honored to now represent Heather, because I’m lucky enough to still be here and to tell our stories, and to follow my dreams on and off the golf course – something that was taken form her that we should never take for granted.
My story may be cancer when you look at the cover, but just like every woman on this Tour, if you read a little further, the things we overcome, and are enduring every day to play on the LPGA are truly incredible. Our stories are all of strength and perseverance and spirit. I’ve never been more proud to say I play on the LPGA Tour. Truly, we all deserve this award. You all inspire me to persevere as a cancer survivor, as a golfer and as a woman. Thank you for choosing me to be the one to accept this award. I accept it for all of us. Thank you.”
