CORNWALL, Ontario – In February 2017 Cornwall resident and cancer educator Elizabeth Denis Dessureault passed away from lung cancer. Her memory, and her cause continue however with the Elizabeth Denis Dessureault Memorial Hockey Tournament.
The goal of this annual tournament organized by Dave MacDonald and his wife Sue is to not only honour Elizabeth’s memory, but also to raise money to help fight the disease she died from.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Robyn Denis, Elizabeth’s mom. “As a parent, when you lose a child, one thing you want is for them to be remembered. “I’m just overwhelmed with how our community has come together to organize this in her memory.”
There were 11 teams that took part in the tournament across three divisions. There was a Golden Boys division, a Recreation Division and an Open Recreation Division.
Dave MacDonald hoped to raise as much as $6,000 this year from the tournament for lung cancer research.
The tournament continues Sunday and includes a silent auction with prizes such as a deluxe room at the Ramada Inn, a golf package and a casino package.
“There aren’t too many around who don’t know someone who has been touched by cancer,” said MacDonald.
Lung cancer kills more women than all other cancers combined, yet receives the least amount of funding. Lung cancer is also on the rise amongst non-smokers.