Scott Medlock is always helping others. That’s just what he does. He’s an artist by trade, but his real calling is philanthropy, and he uses his love of art, golf and music as the vehicle to raise funds and awareness for many causes.

He has the Scott Medlock—Robby Krieger Rock and Roll Golf Classic, which recently celebrated its 11th annual event, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Medlock and Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, have been to Memphis to visit children battling cancer and have gained so much inspiration from the courageous, positive kids there.

What a cruel irony, then, after all he has done in raising funds for cancer research and awareness, that Medlock was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic adenocarcinoma in January.

He knew the one thing that would make him feel better while undergoing chemotherapy drips for 72 consecutive hours would be to continue to help others. So he’s planning his 12th annual tournament, looking at courses to host and adding different charities this year to help victims of the recent fires and Borderline Grill shootings.

Amazing, isn’t he?

“I think I’m just wired that way,” said Medlock, a longtime Moorpark resident. “I love helping others. I’m not good at receiving help. I don’t know why. It’s a little awkward. I have a lot of friends who are saying, ‘Let us do this for you.’ I’m not able to do as much work as I normally would.”

He found out he had cancer after an episode of intense back pain sent him to the doctor and a tumor was found on his spine. When he was diagnosed, St. Jude CEO Richard C. Shadyac Jr. called and said he thought Medlock should consult Dr. Zev A. Wainberg at UCLA Medical Center. Medlock thought it was serendipitous that he had seen Wainberg just two days before. He knew he was on the right track.

“The treatment seems to be working,” Medlock said. “We just got results and the doctors were really pleased. Everything shrank by 50 percent. They told me a while back that they probably wouldn’t be able to get rid of the tumors, but it was a matter of managing them. That was shocking. Now they said it’s possible. It could take a miracle. Why not?”

Medlock feels blessed that the lone symptom out of 20 possible ones doctors told him about is neuropathy in his hands, but that’s not good for an artist or a golfer. He even makes chemotherapy sound not so nasty, calling it “chemosabe.”

“I think I’m just wired that way,” said Medlock, a longtime Moorpark resident. “I love helping others. I’m not good at receiving help. I don’t know why. It’s a little awkward. I have a lot of friends who are saying, ‘Let us do this for you.’ I’m not able to do as much work as I normally would.”

“I try to look at everything through a positive lens,” Medlock said. “I don’t work well with negativity. I figure out how to turn it into a positive, even chemo.”

The 50-year-old Medlock is a cheerful, joyous man and a friend to all. He may not be good at receiving help, but his friends and family have rallied. They set up a GoFundMe account for him. He says his wife, Myrna, a nurse, has been his rock through this journey. They have three children: Dylan just graduated from UC Berkeley: Dawson is a freshman at UCLA: Their daughter, Kailana, is heading to dance school at SUNY Purchase, in New York in August. Medlock is looking forward to accompanying her to the East Coast and helping her get settled.

When the account raised $30,000 in two weeks, Medlock was floored.

Krieger is one of Medlock’s best friends. He shared a video message recently, saying: “He’s been my friend for about 30 years and is the one that got me interested in giving back and doing fundraisers for our favorite charities … now he needs some help … all of his buddies are helping him but we need all of you to help, too.”

A member of Augusta National GC called recently, and the next thing Medlock knew, he was playing Augusta for the first time. He had been to the Masters each of the past 25 years to make drawings of great moments, but it was his first time playing. He even birdied holes 13 and 15. He didn’t keep score.

He’s playing well right now and jokes that “it’s the chemosabe swing. It’s forced me to swing easy and smooth,” Medlock said.

Medlock is the artist who has done all of the SCGA Hall of Fame inductee portraits since 2007.

Now it’s time for us to help Medlock. He would never ask, of course, but it’s the least we can do.

Find the GoFundMe page at, gofundme.com/f/friends-of-scotty-medlock