By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — After his 16-year battle with leukemia, KLA Laboratories President and CEO Matt O’Bryan strives to spread awareness and raise money to fight the disease.
He does this with an annual golf outing which hopes to raise $20,000 after raising a combined $25,000 in 2014 and 2015.
The Dearborn-based company’s third annual corporate golf outing will take place at Tournament Players Club Michigan, 1 Nicklaus Drive, Sept. 12.
KLA Laboratories invites corporate sponsors and customers to attend the event with a donation required to play the 18-hole golf scramble followed by a dinner.
“This started as a celebration of KLA Laboratories’ 85th anniversary with funds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Michigan,” O’Bryan said. “The outing has been getting better each year and it’s a great cause to get behind.”
The society hopes to use money donated to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. They also improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
“I joined the Michigan chapter’s board 14 years ago,” O’Bryan said. “A family friend started it and it made sense for me to get involved with my personal connection.”
O’Bryan was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia in 2000, then received his treatment at University of Michigan and is now cancer free.
“When I received treatment years ago people were funding research that helped me,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to give back and help other people down the road.”
For more information on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Michigan or to donate go to www.lls.org/michigan.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])