As many of you know, my wife has been battling lung cancer for the past three years. While it’s been a struggle, it has also allowed us to be on the receiving end of many blessings. We’ve met friends we never knew we had, gotten the support and love of thousands of people around the country, and had the opportunity to become members of a really crummy club full of lots of wonderful people.

One of those people is Phil Brown, who’s wife Marty passed away after a 40-month long fight against ovarian cancer. I met Phil earlier this year at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. We shared stories of what it’s like to be a caregiver to a cancer patient, and Phil’s given me a lot of support over the last few months.

Phil and Marty met 30-years ago, and she was not only a fierce defender of the 2nd Amendment, she was a rifle instructor who found joy in educating and training others.  Even while undergoing chemotherapy, Marty still made it out to the range. In fact, before one surgery to have a port installed (a device which is usually implanted under the skin below the right collar bone), Marty insisted that her port be implanted on the left side, so she could still shoot unimpeded.

Phil Brown recalled the lead surgeon coming in and asking”who is the marksman screwing up my schedule?” He told Marty if you can wait a bit longer I will do the procedure myself.

“The procedure is done with conscious sedation so I could hear her during the procedure talking to the
surgeon bragging how she has learned to make hits on target at 500 yards using her AR15,” Phil told me.

After Marty passed away, the Revere Riders (a group dedicated to promoting marksmanship and American history that counted Phil and Marty as charter members) put on several informal invitational events to honor Marty’s memory. This year, according to Phil, the group decided to go even bigger and launch the Marty Brown Memorial Open, a two-day shooting event in Bedford, Indiana raising money and awareness for ovarian cancer research and support. As Phil Brown explains it;

We want to raise funds to donate towards ovarian cancer support and research with our partner organization Ovarcoming Together out of Indianapolis. Ovarcoming is providing a speaker to give a presentation on Saturday at lunch for early warning signs of ovarian
cancer and treatment options. This is a fundraiser,awareness campaign, and a shooting sports weekend!

Dozens of companies and sponsors have donated items including firearms, holsters, and accessories that will be given away as prizes. In fact, every participant will receive a free gift just for taking part in the even.

This is one competition I wish that I could attend. Unfortunately, in just a few days my own wife goes back to the hospital for a CT scan to see if the trial drugs she’s currently taking are still working to keep her tumors from growing, so I won’t be able to make it to the first Marty Brown Memorial Open. If you can make it, though, I’d strongly encourage you to attend. It sounds like it’s going to be a great time for a good cause, and honoring the life of a very good woman at the same time.

If you’d like mor more information on how to register and attend, click here.