This Saturday, Farmington junior Teah Flynn will host her second annual Tennis Relay benefiting cancer research. Her motivation for the event is in remembrance of her mother, Leah, who was killed by a drunk driver when Teah was five.
“She always wanted the best for people,” said Flynn. “That’s my goal, to be the best person I can be for everybody. Try to put everybody else before me.”
This year Flynn has contacted more than 1,000 tennis coaches. On Saturday at 9 a.m. people in eight states will be participating. It’s all thanks to a 16-year-old girl from Arkansas.
“A lot of people react differently and expect a high school student to be doing this,” said Flynn. “They are like ‘Wow that’s magnificent that you can do that.’”
All the money raised at every site across the country goes to Washington University in St. Louis for their genomic cancer research. Last year Flynn raised $3,000 on her own.
“A lot of people have not seemed to connect with that certain type of research,” said Flynn. “So I thought maybe I could start it.”
At 16 years old, Flynn is a role model for all of us. She shows you can take adversity in your life. Don’t let it define you. You define it.
“The certain challenges I have gone through have made me grow as a person and made me realize things don’t last in life and that things are very fragile,” said Flynn.
And on Saturday, when Flynn is raising thousands of dollars for a great cause, somewhere her mother will be smiling.
“I know that she is watching over me and seeing what I’m doing as a person in this life,” said Flynn.
The Tennis Relay will be held all day Saturday at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.