ASHLAND — Rocky Adkins has a lot of passions in his life. One is helping others in the battle with cancer.

That’s why the state representative — a cancer survivor himself — has his annual golf tournament every year at this time.

Today will be the 16th annual Rocky Adkins Golf Tournament at Eagle Trace in Morehead and it has never failed to bring home the bacon. Adkins uses money from the tournament for various cancer-fighting projects that work through the King’s Daughters Health Foundation.

He is passionate about this battle with cancer because he has been on the frontlines of it.

Sixteen years ago Adkins had that uncomfortable conversation with an oncologyst who told him he had cancer.

“I was 35 years old, a former college athlete, had never been sick in my life, always healthy, always eating right,” he said. “All of the sudden I got sick and had no idea what was wrong.”

Adkins was eventually was dispatched to the Mayo Clinic where he heard the news no one wants to hear.

“I will never forget, as long as I live, the thoughts that went through my mind,” he said. “The doctor said ‘You’ll have surgery tomorrow morning at 6:30 to remove the tumor that is cancerous. We’ll take it out, you’ll have some chemotherapy and radiation and hopefully things will work out from there.’”

Adkins had a tumor taken from his small intestines and, at the time, was given 50/50 odds of living.

“No question, I have been blessed,” he said. “Having cancer and been told changed my perspective on life. I enjoy every second of every minute of every day.”

But he also understands while he has survived his cancer battle, there are others who are fighting every single day.

The golf tournament was a way to put out Adkins’ message that he was still swinging against the disease — and he’s been a heavy hitter.

The tournament has had 72 teams play every year since its inception and has raised more than $1.2 million. Last year’s tournament brought in $125,000 and he hopes to at least match that total today.

“Every penny we raise from this tournament goes back into fighting cancer in some way,” he said.

Funds from the Rocky Adkins Golf Tournament helped build the King’s Daughters Hospitality House, which provides families with a place to stay and rest while their loved ones are cared for at the medical center. People from 38 different states have used the facility in the past six years. Guests include adult family members or caregivers of either critically ill patients or qualifying outpatients receiving extended therapeutic care.

The money also helped renovate the oncology unit at the hospital and Adkins is in the third year of a five-year pledge to raise funds for a traveling mammography vehicle. Since 2010, the vehicle has helped 1,200 women receive mammograms in Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, Lewis, Martin and Wolfe counties in Kentucky and Lawrence, Scioto and Jackson counties in Ohio.

Early detection and education have helped in the cancer battle, Adkins said, so all that can be done on those fronts is profitable.

Adkins said the tournament has become a reunion for many who come back year after year. There’s a waiting list for teams to participate, he said.

“People start calling and scheduling a team for the tournament as soon as next week,” he said. “We have some teams who have played in all 16 tournaments. It has become a time a reunion and a time of fellowship.”

Adkins doesn’t play on any particular team, choosing instead to visit with all those who are participating.

“That way, I mess up everybody’s team,” he said.

Thirty-six teams tee off in the morning and 36 more in the afternoon. At lunch Adkins speaks to them about cancer.

“I usually ask for a show of hands for everybody who has been affected in some way by cancer,” he said. “It’s almost always everybody.”

Adkins said the King’s Daughters Health Foundation and the staff at Eagle Trace make running the tournament a snap for him.

The success of the event with the funds raised is a source of pride for Adkins, who also admitted being humbled by it all.

When he started the tournament, the state representative from Sandy Hook never realized the impact would be so great. It has become more than a round of golf with friends. It’s a fundraising vehicle that has provided for those dealing with cancer as a victim, a family member, friend or caregiver.

“The goal is hopefully to find a cure for cancer,” he said.

Adkins is sincere in that wish.

Remember, the “coal guy” is also the “cancer survivor guy” who appreciates all life has given him.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.