Just over one year ago, Corey Williams received the news everyone dreads: a loved one being diagnosed with cancer.
A local artist, poet, videographer and father of four, Williams found out in May 2025 his fiancée, Iya Burkett, had cancer. Within a month, Williams saw the disease rapidly progress.
The couple struggled through her constant treatments at UF Health Shands Hospital, and Williams watched as his loved one lost the ability to communicate and struggled with her illness.
On June 19, Williams faced one of the worst realities a man can experience: Burkett died, and he was not prepared.
“I was thinking that we had time, and not knowing that I didn’t have time, I was not prepared,” Williams said. “We had not prepared anything for our kids as a plan … So having the uncomfortable conversations is what I would like to start with because we have to have those.”
Williams also lost his mother to cancer three years prior, leaving him to face the world without the two most important women in his life.
After wrestling with the losses, he planned community events to commemorate his loved ones, raise awareness and start uncomfortable conversations about preparedness — conversations that often need to be had but are avoided.
The first took shape as a bowling event on Friday at Alley Gatorz Bowling Center in Gainesville. The second was a kickball game planned for Saturday at T.B. McPherson Park, but it was postponed. The dates were especially significant because of Burkett’s July 12 birthday, Williams said.
Though the event planning helped him turn his pain into purpose, dealing with grief isn’t always easy, and healing doesn’t come on a linear path. It took time for Williams to readjust to life before he organized efforts to honor Burkett and his mother through cancer awareness efforts.
“Through understanding that I did everything that I could do and not staying in that guilt, I think that’s how people move forward,” he said. “I acknowledge sometimes that it’s there, but I don’t allow myself to stay in that moment … Don’t ignore it, acknowledge it, but don’t let it deter you from getting through that one day.”
When the day finally rolled around for the Strike Out Cancer event, cheers, laughter and high-fives filled the bowling alley. From children to elders, family and community members of all ages showed up in support of Williams and his cause. The turnout was greater than expected, he said.
Five bowlers occupied each lane at a time, enjoying their Friday evening surrounded by a crowd of loved ones. They took group photos, ate cake and attempted to win the event by recording the most strikes. By the end of the night, Noah Frazier, the son of William’s pastor at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church, took home that accolade.
The event helped Williams connect with the community, test out his new bowling ball and commemorate his loved ones. As he explained, you don’t know how badly you need support until you don’t have it. Though the bowling games were cut short due to electrical issues at the bowling alley, Williams still deemed the event a success that fostered fun, community and support.
His brother-in-law, Derrick Burkett, who lives in Tampa, also served as a co-organizer for the event and helped spread the word outside of Gainesville. He made the drive to attend the event with his 3-year-old son, Deon, and, like Williams, experienced bowling with his son for the first time.
Along with friends and family, members of Haven Hospice’s bereavement program, Healing Hearts, showed up to support Williams and his family. Burkett worked for Haven Hospice for 13 years, and the organization helped Williams transition into life without his fiancée. Without hesitation, ten volunteers signed up to attend the event and created a bowling team to show their support.
Nooriel Nolan, Haven Hospice’s bereavement coordinator, also attended the event. She said Haven Hospice is a special group within the larger community, one that is full of compassion and always looking for ways to support people during hardships.
“It’s always important to us to continue supporting the family after a loss,” Nolan said. “When you’re grieving, you need community … If we don’t have others that help us carry the grief, it makes that burden exponentially more.”
Despite the weight of their loss, Williams’ children also enjoyed themselves at the event. His 14-year-old daughter, Cyniah, got the chance to bowl for the first time in eight years and said the event brought people together and allowed her to spend time with family.
Williams said his daughter usually keeps to herself, and he was thrilled to see her having fun and being social. His main goal: to not make last year’s memory be this year’s memory.