On September 28th, at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton, IL, family, friends and community supporters will gather again to honor the life of Ryan J. Hanrahan, and all those affected by brain tumors, at the 3rd Annual Grabowski Scramble.
Ryan was diagnosed with an inoperable astrocytoma in July 2015. This type of tumor, while considered rare (< 200,000 U.S. cases per year), is notorious for its high level (grade 4) malignancy classification, highly aggressive growth rate and ability to spread rapidly within the brain. Ryan put up a courageous fight to extend his life however, on December 14, 2015, at the age of 30, Ryan lost his battle with brain cancer.
“While Ryan may not have won his individual battle, we will help him win the war against brain cancer,” his family states. “In just two short years, the Grabowski Scramble has raised over $87,000 to support families impacted by brain cancer and fund research towards finding a cure.
If Ryan’s last name was Hanrahan, why is the scramble called Grabowski? And furthermore, what is a Grabowski?
Chicago is a town based on hard work. Throughout its history, people come to Chicago from other parts of the country and world to work hard. No matter the job, blue collar, white collar, menial, servile or powerful. Chicagoans work hard. They’re Grabowski’s. The term Grabowski was brought to national attention by former Chicago Bears Coach, Mike Ditka who, in speaking about his 1985 Bears, said, “Some teams are fair-haired. Some aren’t. Some teams are a Smith, some are a Grabowski…we’re a Grabowski.” According to Ryan’s family, he loved this quote so much, his nickname became “The Grabowski” because of the values inherent in Chicago are what Ryan embodied throughout his life.
