7 Years of Smiles

Junior Golfer:  "Is it OK if I watch golf today?"

Me:  "Of course it is, but we can get you set up to play if you'd prefer to do that."

Junior Golfer:  "No, that's OK, I'll just watch because I've never played."

Me:  "Everybody who plays has been in that same situation before.  If you want to play you let us know and we'll get you started."

Junior Golfer:  "Do you really think I can do it?"

Me:  "I know you can.  Let me grab a golf club and we'll get you going."

Junior Golfer:  "OK, I'll hit 3 golf balls and give it a try."

Fast forward through those initial three swings to get to this --

Junior Golfer:  "Can I hit one more golf ball?"

Me:  "You can hit as many as you want."

Junior Golfer:  "Maybe I'll hit two or three, this is fun!"

The conversation above has been shortened a bit to keep it brief but still get the point across.  This is how we started our junior golf clinic at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital yesterday afternoon.  I can think of no more perfect way to start the junior golf clinic on the day before the 7th anniversary of our very first junior golf clinic.  Yes, today, May 10, 2018, is the 7th anniversary of the initial golf clinic at Ranken Jordan.  To have a brand new junior golfer come to our clinic, be hesitant, pick up a golf club, have fun, and want to keep playing, is the perfect illustration of what golf has done for the kids at Ranken Jordan over the past 7 years.

While our new junior golfer was hitting golf balls today, the smiles and laughter never stopped.  When fatigue set in, we were left with a final big smile and a promise to be back next week for more golf.  Why, you might be thinking, was there fatigue after only six swings?  Well, those six swings turned into about 40 as there was also a request for "one more shot!"  This is one of the things that continues to amaze me each and every week.  Children like this who do not think they can play golf or have been told that they can't, are shown that they can.  Through Ranken Jordan's revolutionizing "Care Beyond the Bedside" healthcare model, kids are given the opportunity to get out of bed, out of their hospital rooms, and back to being kids.

There are not enough adjectives to properly or adequately describe the impact the past seven years of junior golf at Ranken Jordan have had on me.  It is also impossible to say thank you to everyone who has been a part of our junior golf program in one way or another -- our junior golfers, their families, therapists, nurses, doctors, friends and family, colleagues, donors -- the list has no end.  For that I am truly grateful.  Seven years of weekly golf clinics, rain or shine, has been simply amazing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has been so important in improving the lives of so many children one swing at a time.  And Janine, thank you for letting me continue to sneak past security every week!  Here's to the next 7 years of more healing and more hope for more children and more families!