Three days after surgeons removed a massive tumor from his left lung, Rye seventh grader Hamish Fenton sat up in his hospital bed at Memorial Sloan Kettering to watch a live stream video of his dad, brothers, friends, teammates, and nearly 200 Rye neighbors plunge into the icy waters of the Long Island Sound.
The event, held on Sunday, Jan. 26. raised more than $25,000 for MSK’s Cycle for Survival pediatric cancer research and was the first in what Coveleigh’s General Manager, Ryan Keenan, hopes will be an annual opportunity for members to make a positive impact on the local community.
“Hamish smiled ear to ear at the sight of (his brothers) Archer, Jagger, his best friend, Shane — even his little sister Lola dipping her toes into the icy water,” his mother, Cassie, said.
In September 2023, Hamish was diagnosed with Nut Carcinoma, a cancer so rare only 200 cases had been reported worldwide. Cassie’s first instinct was to keep the devastating news private. She soon realized in a town as tight-knit as Rye, no one struggles alone.
Rye resident Jason Osier who plunged along with his wife, Alissa, and three boys, recounts coaching Hamish in a Saturday football game.
“And on Tuesday, Cassie called me to say he would not be at practice,” he recalled. Shaking his head as he corralled his own son, who had just emerged from the water, all he remembers saying was: “Is there anything I can do?”
Keenan asked himself the same question when he joined Coveleigh’s staff last August. Keenan, who had built a 22-year career working at golf clubs in New Jersey, knew nothing about Hamish or the Fenton Family when he proposed a Polar Plunge for charity to his colleague Coleen Rozzi. He just wanted to host an event that would allow members to have fun and make a difference.
“Being a part of a community means not only benefiting from its support but also recognizing a responsibility to give back,” he said. When Keenan and Rozzi approached Board Member Chiann Roveto with the idea, Roveto’s first thought was of Cassie, with whom she serves on the Rye Rugby Board. Fenton, deeply moved by the club’s generosity, in turn pointed to “Cycle for Survival,” MSK’s rare cancer fundraising program, which has raised over $377 million for research and clinical trials.
Since receiving Hamish’s diagnosis, the Fentons, who moved to Rye from their native Australia five years ago, have left no stone unturned in their efforts to research, learn about, and fight this rare disease. Cassie readily attributes that their all still standing — and most days still smiling — to the love and support of the Rye community, as well as to their exceptional team of doctors and medical professionals at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
“There are not enough words to express my gratitude,” said Fenton.
As a group of Rye High students stood shivering around small bonfires in the sand, having disrobed prematurely, Gus Fenton took the microphone, looked down at the kids and promised to keep it brief. He expressed his heartfelt thanks to Coveleigh, to Keenan, Rozzi, and Roveto and to all who showed up for them on a cold January morning — and who show up again and again. He also explained how the family’s perspective had transformed in the months since diagnosis.
“When we got the news no parent wants to hear, we spent a lot of time thinking ‘Why us? Why Hamish?’” he said. “But then we realized it could be anyone — any kid. Why not us?”
A few days later, having returned home with Hamish, Cassie continued her husband’s thoughts: “And if it has to be us, what are we going to make of it? You have a choice to be angry and bitter or to share and to make a difference. There has to be a purpose to it.” The Fentons know their purpose is to help kids like Hamish and families like theirs.
Rye Middle School teacher, Cari Cauley, who works to keep Hamish on pace with his peers, had never participated in a polar plunge, nor was it on her to-do list. But she readily admitted: “I would do anything for Hamish — the whole family.”
Cauley said she is deeply impressed and moved by the Fenton’s research, study and generosity in sharing their experience. “It helps because the unknown is scary. Cassie is special,” she said, referring to the family’s Facebook page and fundraising team, “Hammer Strikes Back,” where Cassie posts updates on Hamish’s progress, setbacks, highs, and lows.
“It’s not required to report back on all you are learning and enduring, but it’s helpful to relay and to receive,” Cauley said. “Cassie has fostered a unique and very special relationship with Rye — she is open and honest and as a result has elicited enormous empathy, love, and kindness from residents of Rye and towns around the globe.”
While the vast majority of plunge participants zipped in and out of the water, a group of roughly 16 women held hands and walked methodically into the surf. As members of The Bad Sisters, a local cold water plunging group that counts Cassie Fenton among its ranks, they knew what to expect. Some remained in the water for up to eight minutes. “You can tell who the professionals are,” Hamish said as he watched the women form a circle and clasp their hands together as if in prayer.
“It’s just a phenomenal experience for the community,” said Hannah Hillis, who was the last to emerge from the water. “Cassie — the whole family — are such an inspiration and remind me every day of our motto: Together We Can Do Hard Things.”
