Chris O’Gorman’s Choosing to Make a Difference
How Chris O’Gorman is honoring his sister and himself by fundraising through his podcast: “Questions for Cancer Research”
Inspired by his melanoma diagnosis and his sister’s experience with ovarian cancer, Chris O’Gorman is passionate about advancing cancer research through his new “Questions for Cancer Research” podcast. He witnessed both the benefits of and the urgent need for research advancements and now he’s raising money to benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The O’Gorman Family’s Interwoven Journeys
Chris was the youngest of five children in his family. They were healthy and athletic, with his brother playing college basketball for V Foundation founder and head coach Jim Valvano at Iona College. Unfortunately, as the quintet got older, cancer impacted their family in significant ways.
In August of 2022, Chris’s older sister, Sue, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She fought valiantly, undergoing difficult chemotherapy treatments. She was given a good report in April of 2023, but the cancer quickly came back. Throughout her entire journey, her motivation was the same – she wanted to be at the wedding of youngest son, Kyle, that June. She was able to be there before ultimately passing in August. Witnessing Sue’s journey has served as a motivation for Chris to make a difference.
Interwoven into Chris’s sister’s cancer story is his own. Just a month after Sue’s initial diagnosis, Chris learned in September of 2022 that a cluster of melanoma on his left underarm had been misdiagnosed, and the disease had gone deeper into his skin. A few months later, a scan revealed cancer in his lymph nodes as well.
Being fair-skinned and having a history of sunburn as a child, Chris had his first melanoma discovered in 1996. It was treated, and he started being screened twice per year. About five years ago, doctors found another melanoma on the back of his left calf. Again, it was treated successfully, and he then increased screening to three times per year.
“I’ve learned some lessons. I mean, obviously anybody who has had bad burns or if you’re fair-skinned, or I don’t care who you are, you should get screened… You just have to be really vigilant because if you catch this early, it’s highly treatable.”
This time, in 2022, the cancer had invaded his lymph nodes, significantly increasing the severity of the melanoma into a stage 3 cancer. Chris had a lot of frustrations, having been diligent with his skin checks but initially being misdiagnosed. He started immunotherapy treatment and had six operations in an 18-month period.
Chris, originally from New York and now a resident of South Florida, received care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. He appreciated the thorough care and concern of his medical team there.
“They have been fantastic. One doctor literally saved my life, picking up something that no one ever did. If that had probably gone on for another month, I most likely wouldn’t be here today. I’m so grateful.”
Chris is doing well today, monitoring his skin and lymph nodes with consistent skin checks, PET scans and ultrasounds.
“It’s been a tough two and a half years, but I have not been through the level of really toughness or tough treatments that my sister had… people use the term surreal – to me it was very real because I had seen what my sister was going through and I knew there were potentially bad outcomes.”
Within his own family, Chris has seen the importance of early detection, the differences in research advancements between cancer types, and the need for more research. While melanoma is a cancer type with extensive early detection and treatment options, his sister’s bout with ovarian cancer showed the need for improved options across all cancer types. It inspired him to be a passionate fundraiser for cancer research.
“Typically, they don’t detect ovarian cancer until it’s outside of the ovaries and in stage three or four… It’s obviously a long way to go. It’s why I am here.”
“Questions for Cancer Research” Podcast
“In the midst of all that chaotic craziness, I knew there was something positive I could do… I knew a fair amount of people in the world of sports. I wondered if I could set up a podcast and interview people and try to raise money for cancer research.”
Thus, “Questions for Cancer Research” was born. When brainstorming his first guests, four names came to mind: Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, Mike Breen and Ian Baker-Finch, four accomplished professionals in the world of sports.
Chris wanted the money raised through his efforts to make an impact. Through his contacts in the sports world and Iona College basketball, the V Foundation immediately came to mind. Today, “Questions for Cancer Research” is a proud supporter of the V Foundation. 100% of direct donations to the V Foundation go directly to game-changing cancer research.
