For anyone who’s had a loved one or a friend battle cancer, the anguish of sometimes seeing them in distress and discomfort is horrific. What can you do for them? Hug them. Listen. Love them. If you’re West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, you honor them. That’s what Hugs has done for his mother, Norma Mae Huggins, who lost her battle with cancer in 2003, by establishing a cancer research endowment fund in her name at the WVU Mary Babb Randolph Cancer. And now, all of us fellow Mountaineers can help.
Hugs is one of 48 college basketball coaches participating in the Infiniti Coaches’
Charity Challenge, which provides fans a chance to vote for their coach’s favorite charity. The winner will be announced March 16, and the highest vote getter will receive $100,000 for their designated charity.
The Norman Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund has raised nearly one million dollars to support clinical research, and is designed to give West Virginians the opportunity to participate in cancer clinical trials. Hugs has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort over the past decade toward the fund, holding such events as roasts and even a fish fry tied to the football game tied with Marshall.
While many loyal WVU fans have generously dedicated funds to the coach’s charity, all it takes for you to pitch in now is a simple click. Go to www.espn.com/infinity and vote for Coach Huggins and the fund in his mother’s honor that’s helping West Virginians with their incredible struggle, and provides doctors with invaluable information about a disease that last year was expected to claim more than half a million lives.
You can vote once a day, every day, through March 16. All it takes is a few moments of your time to support an tremendously valuable cause, which is near and dear to one of our own, and is helping so many of our own.
Let’s go, Mountaineers!