The ambitious goal of the former NFL kicker – advancing brain tumor research and treatment – began in the mid-‘90s with a high school love story.
Debby-Lu Tashjian, a 1995 Unionville High graduate, had won the devotion of Azad Yepremian, one of Garo Yepremian’s two sons. When Tashjian was subsequently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 1998 and given six months to live, Azad Yepremian insisted on going forward with wedding plans.
His wife went on to captivate the hearts of the entire Yepremian family, which also included Garo’s wife of 43 years, Maritza; and their eldest son, Garo Jr. Debby-Lu Yepremian graduated summa cum laude from West Chester University in 1999 as a psychology major with a French minor, and she also exceeded her doctors’ prognoses by more than five years.
She lost her hard-fought battle with the disease in 2004. By then, her father-in-law was already several years into the Garo Yepremian Foundation, a nonprofit he founded in 2001 to subsidize life-saving brain tumor research and treatment, primarily through annual celebrity-supported fundraisers.
Now, the effort has hit even closer to Yepremian’s Chester County home. In May, Garo Yepremian himself was diagnosed with a brain tumor caused by neuroendocrine cancer. Maritza Yepremian said she and her husband had the same reaction to the news. “We were speechless,” she said.
Since then, the tumor was successfully removed, and the Stage 4 cancer responded positively to chemotherapy and radiation, Maritza Yepremian said. Recently, the cancer returned, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s choice as “Kicker of the Decade” from 1970-1980 will soon resume a seven-week regimen designed to kick the cancer permanently.
Maritza Yepremian said her husband would approach the combination of chemotherapy and radiation with the same positive outlook and determination that have dominated his life.
No stranger to defying the odds, the former NFL standout came to the U.S. from Cyprus at age 22 because his brother had watched a football game on TV and thought his sibling could kick well enough to get a free education.
Yepremian, who had never seen a football game before playing in one, went on to a 15-year NFL career. He played for the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Miami Dolphins, where he was the leading scorer during the Dolphins’ undefeated 1972 season. From 1966 through 1981 he missed only one season when he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army.
During his NFL tenure, the two-time All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl Champion was dubbed “the tiemaker-tiebreaker” for a line of neckwear he designed. Since his retirement, Yepremian, 70, has continued to explore his creative side.
On Feb. 6, Yepremian will host Casino Night, a fundraiser that encourages participants to roll the dice to support brain cancer research. It will be held at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern from 6 to 11 p.m. Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are $125 per person and include casino gaming chips, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, buffet, complimentary martini bar, celebrity guest appearances, auction items, table prizes, and a charitable contribution.
Sponsorship opportunities are encouraged and will include the sponsor’s logo on gaming table signs and a PowerPoint presentation. For more information, visit http://www.yepremian.org, write to Box 1231, Avondale, Pa., 19311, or call 610-268-2299. The Garo Yepremian Celebrity Golf Classic is scheduled for June 8 at the Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern.
Maritza Yepremian said her husband plans to attend both events. She said during the 2014 golf tournament he had to take a midday break because of the fatigue caused by his cancer treatment, but he returned for the evening portion of the fundraiser. “He’ll be there if it’s at all possible,” she said.
Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, a longtime family friend and foundation board member, said she hopes the public will support the fundraisers – both as a response to a worthy cause and as a tribute to a man who has reached out to others for so long.
“Garo is a wonderful, caring human being, which is evident from the passion and energy he used to start the foundation,” Welsh said. “He has worked tirelessly for this cause and now has become a part of it in ways no one could have ever imagined.”
