Me: "Hi, I'm Kevin. Would you like to play golf with us today?"
Junior Golfer: "I've never played and I'd like to, but I'm in a wheelchair so I can't play golf."
Me: "Sure you can! I'll help you and show you how."
Junior Golfer: "I know I won't be able to so I'll just sit and watch."
Me: "Are you sure? We've had junior golfers playing from their beds so if you want to play we'll make it happen."
Junior Golfer: "Do you really think so?"
Me: "I know so. Want me to help you and show you how?"
Junior Golfer: "Yes, I'll give it a try."
This conversation is how we started a recent junior golf clinic at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. These type of conversations are not uncommon, but they always serve as motivation to the staff and volunteers at Ranken Jordan. Anytime I have a conversation like this with one of the kids, my first thought is that I want to show them just what they can do! While attending the annual Ranken Jordan Gala a few years ago, I listend to Dr. Nick Holekamp, Chief Medical Officer at Ranken Jordan, give his speech and ever since have held on to one quote from his speech: "It is the job of the big hospitals to save the lives of children. At Ranken Jordan, it is our job to give those children their lives back." Every Wednesday afternoon I try to do my little part to uphold Nick's powerful words.
If you have kept reading and made it this far, you may be wondering what happened following the initial conversation that started this post. After agreeing to give golf a try, I helped hand-over-hand for the first few swings to make sure we were starting on the right path. It did not take long before my help was no longer necessary! There were a few more straight drives hit, and then this happened:
Junior Golfer: "I'm having fun!"
Me: "You are? That's great and makes me happy to hear that!"
Junior Golfer: "Yes, I'm happy that I decided to try and that you helped show me I can do this!"
Moments like these are priceless and exactly why I look forward so much to Golf Day with the kids. Seeing the huge smile on the face of our new junior golfer, the pure excitement, and the realization that they can do something they did not believe was possible, created an indescribable feeling for all of us involved. I have said more times than I can count that the children do far more for me than I will ever be able to do for them. This is another shining example of why that is true.
