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by Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Tammy Schuetz-Cook is, in many ways, a typical mother. She lives with her husband and 11 year-old son, Chance, in Dover. She works for digital marketing agency. She's active in her community and sits on a number of committees and boards.
And she can throw a mean right hook.
Tammy is participating in Haymakers for Hope, a charity that raises money for cancer research through the sport of boxing.
Haymakers for Hope is a non-profit founded in 2009 by boxers Julie Anne Kelly and Andrew Myerson. The two, both competing for New York City's Golden Gloves at the time, decided to combine their love of boxing with their desire to raise money for cancer research.
The foundation has grown steadily since then. It now encompasses events in both Boston and New York, giving amateur boxers a chance to train in leading boxing gyms and eventually step into the ring in front of a cheering crowd - all in the name of cancer research.
It's all in good fun for an even better cause, but it's not easy.
"Training is very intense. You are at the gym almost every day... often twice a day, sometimes three times a day," says Tammy, who found herself in the ring only after attending her first Haymakers for Hope event three years ago. "You're pushing yourself harder than you've ever been pushed before... sometimes to utter exhaustion. It takes you away from your family a lot as well. It's a four month training process and you inevitably miss out on family events. While it's the most amazing thing I've ever done, it's certainly also the hardest."
That difficulty is a bit easier to overcome, however, when she puts it into perspective.
"It's a combination of seeing these folks go through the grueling process of training, combined with the courage of those close to me who have gone through or lost their battle to cancer that has inspired me to do this."
There's another different perspective, as well.
"When you are in the ring, it's very instinctual," says Tammy. "You go into fight or flight mode, so to be honest, you are not really thinking about 'fighting cancer' itself. You are trying to win your bout... to fight your hardest and stay focused on what you've learned. That being said, it's talking to people outside the ring... reading and/or hearing stories about lost loved ones or watching friends go through the treatment process that affects you the most.
She continued, "When I think about why I am doing this, I think about the friends and family I am honoring and memorializing by participating in this event and raising money for cancer awareness and specific cancer funds. That feeling humbles me... makes me realize I can do this. It's just four months of training and three 2-minute rounds... nothing compared to what families suffering through cancer treatment and loss endure."
Tammy Schuetz-Cook will step into the ring at the House of Blues in Boston on Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m.
For more information or to donate, visit www.haymakersforhope.org.
