Golf Prodigy Buoys Sick Mom

A Florida girl who's considered one of the country's best young golfers has just learned that her dream of competing in a Ladies Professional Golf Association event will come true.

But,

Dakoda Dowd is only 12, but has a swing even the pros envy.

She's played golf since she was four and, in that time, has won nearly 200 junior trophies.

Asked by Price if she knows what a gift she has, Dakoda shyly replied with a chuckle, "No."

But, says Price, don't let her modesty fool you. There's a reason she won all the awards and caught the attention of sportswriters all across the Sunshine State. She's a true golf prodigy.

Her longtime coach, Matt Mitchell, tells Price the Tampa-area resident is "the most incredible 12-year-old athlete-golfer I've ever seen."

But, says Price, what may be most incredible about Dakoda is that she's still playing at all.

In May, her mother, Kelly Jo, a former model, was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. Doctors had given her a clean bill of health after her double mastectomy in 2002. But now the cancer is back and has spread to her bones and liver. And, says Price, this time it's expected to be terminal.

"I was so aggressive with my treatments," Kelly Jo says. "I mean, I couldn't have done any more. So, to find out that it came back, it was so hard. Chemo (therapy) was such a rough battle."

But Dakoda says her mom has shown her "how to be strong and how to have a good attitude and, when you have a good life and it starts to go wrong, just roll with it. … My parents try and keep everything real and just normal but it's not always easy."

Despite the devastating news, Dakoda has tried to keep a positive outlook, inspiring her parents to stay strong, as well.

Her father, Michael Dowd, is a counselor, so he counsels kids and their parents who go through tough times. What's this been like for him?

"As much as it pains me to think about losing a partner, it pales in comparison to a little girl losing her mother," Michael says.

"She's keeping me alive," Kelly Jo tells Price, holding back tears. "She's giving me strength, she's giving me hope. She's doing it all for me."

Dakoda's optimism has helped everyone around her, Price observes, saying, "This young girl has been a Rock of Gibraltar."

"She's hurting," Michael says. "She's devastated. How could you not be when you have a mother like she has? But she's very resilient, and very strong. And my wife and I do pick up off of her strength."

Kelly Jo has decided to go through chemo once again, if only to give her more time with Dakoda.

"When I looked into Dakoda's eyes," she says, "I definitely knew I would do chemo. I was going to fight for her."

Dakoda also wants more time with her mom, so she's cut back on her practicing and competition. She's the first to tell you, golf is no longer the priority it once was.

"It doesn't even compare," she says. "My mom and my family are 10 times more important than golf. A lot of people go through this. We were just dealt a bad card. But we'll get through it. I'd give up golf in a heartbeat for my mom to stay with me for the rest of my life."

The LPGA tournament Dakoda is slated to play in is Ginn Clubs and Resorts Open from April 27-30 in Orlando.