9-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Gets VIP Day at Memorial Tournament

When Will Nirote wakes up Wednesday morning in Galena, Ohio, he'll head to Muirfield Village Golf Club for the day of a lifetime.

The 9-year-old is one of ten "Golden Cubs" being honored at this year's Memorial Tournament. These kids all battled serious illnesses at Nationwide Children's Hospital and won.

Will's fight started when he was just three years old. His parents noticed blood clots one morning, and doctors quickly diagnosed him with Wilms tumor of the right kidney.

"I had to fight through a lot of stuff," Will said. The timing couldn't have been harder: his baby sister was born during COVID-19 while he underwent treatment.

Doctors removed Will's kidney and started him on nearly a year of radiation and chemotherapy. His family spent countless days at the hospital instead of playgrounds and preschool.

But in February 2021, Will finished his final treatment. This year marks five years of clear scans.

"It's a culmination of everything that he's had to go through," said his mom, Renee. "Just to have a special day just for him for all the days that he missed when he was doing treatment."

Today, Will is thriving. He plays hockey, basketball, football, and soccer. He still visits Nationwide Children's Hospital for follow-up appointments that help doctors research better treatments for future patients.

Sunny's Take

Will's special day at Muirfield includes meeting PGA Tour pros, taking pictures with celebrities like Peyton Manning, and spending time with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus. He's most excited about one thing: the world-famous Muirfield chocolate milkshakes.

The Memorial Tournament dedicates every Wednesday to kids like Will. It's more than a golf event: it raises money and awareness for Nationwide Children's Hospital, turning one boy's toughest years into a celebration of survival.

"I just want them to not really go through what I did," Will said about helping other kids through his continued participation in research.

Five years cancer-free and counting, Will is living proof that tough kids become thriving kids.