I Got Fired For Christmas

 Ok, so I really did not get fired, even though I was told I was fired, then re-hired, then fired, then re-hired . . . You get the idea. For the past month or so, those of us who are at Ranken Jordan on Wednesday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. have been fired multiple times, but we always get re-hired (so far). The first time I heard this directed at me I could not have been any happier about it!

Why would I be happy to hear that I was fired? It is really quite simple. One of our regular golfers, Joe, has been coming to play golf with us the entire time he has been at Ranken Jordan. For the first several weeks, Joe didn't talk. This certainly is not an abnormal occurrence as many of the kids who have been part of our junior golf program through the 11.5 years have either been non-verbal, or just did not talk much. Even though Joe did not talk during those first several weeks, he communicated very well with us through eye contact, smiles, and giving us frequent thumbs up (I am sure Mr. Palmer would approve of him doing this after a great golf shot).

Around the beginning of December I was setting up for our junior golf clinic and as usual Joe was the first one there. He came right up to me, pointed, and said, "Kevin, you're fired!" We both started laughing and I could not have been any more excited to hear that! Right after he said that he smiled and said, "Ok, you're hired." This was repeated at least three more times that afternoon and each time I was happy to hear it.

See, this is where the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan shows just how different and important it is. We are not necessarily looking for the kids to hit the ball a bit straighter, farther, or make more putts. The primary goals of the program are for the kids to smile, laugh, have fun . . . and get better. Golf is a powerful healing tool and I am fortunate to see the proof of that every Wednesday with the kids. When a child like Joe goes so many weeks without talking and then suddenly starts talking non-stop, it shows how comfortable he is with us, and also how much he enjoys what he is doing. Being able to reach kids in this way is far more important than adding a few yards to a tee shot.

Ever since Joe fired me for the first time, we start each Wednesday with a conversation about what he has done in the past week. He talks, smiles, laughs, and enjoys his time with the therapists, volunteers, and other kids. Joe also enjoys seeing how many times he can hit the golf ball in his target net, but not nearly as much as he enjoys hitting me with the golf ball! At this time of year people are always looking back on the year and reflecting on a myriad of things in their life. Each Wednesday I walk into Ranken Jordan I am grateful that I get the opportunity to spend time with amazing kids like Joe. They get golf lessons from me, but I am the one who is learning the most. Is it Wednesday yet?

"I Had Fun!"

 "If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane." -- Jimmy Buffett

Spend much time around me and you will either hear Jimmy Buffett's music or me quoting lyrics from his music. One of the many things I love about Jimmy's music is how fun it is -- there are so many songs that immediately bring a smile to your face or bring sunshine on a lousy day. I was reminded of this line from "Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes" during a recent golf clinic at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.

We had a new junior golfer walk up to join us and I was immediately told by our soon-to-be golfer that they had never touched a golf club, but looked forward to learning. Due to the injuries that are the reason this youngster is a patient at Ranken Jordan, they have poor flexibility and dexterity in their hands. Our junior golfer initially believed this would be a problem, but that thought was quickly changed! We spent a couple of minutes talking about how fun Ranken Jordan is and then got started learning a new sport. After a few minutes getting the stance and set up just right, I assured our junior golfer that I would help hold the club and swing it.

As is usually the case, my help was needed for all of two or three swings. Our new junior golfer immediately gained all the confidence needed to make swings without any help! I went back to doing what I do best and kept teeing up golf balls. Shot after shot went dead straight and right into the target net! Swing after swing, shot after shot, smile after smile, we both were laughing and having a great time. This continued non-stop for about 15 minutes before our new junior golfer told us "I'm tired and done, but I had fun and want to play golf again!"

You would think after over 11 years of weekly junior golf clinics at Ranken Jordan that I would not be surprised by reactions like this. Smiling, laughing, having fun, and being kids, allows the amazing medically complex children to heal faster and get their lives back. To think that golf plays a small role in that is a very humbling feeling. Watching the kids have the opportunity to see that they can do something and seeing them smile, always has me smiling while I am with them and long after I have to leave. Every week I look forward to Wednesday afternoons when the kids will be smiling and I will be smiling. And as I get older and look in the mirror each morning, all the smiling reminds me of another Jimmy Buffett song lyric: "wrinkles only go where the smiles have been." I am ready for next Wednesday and more smiles!

11 Years and Still Going

Friends and family know that my memory is a bit odd. I have a knack for remembering dates and numbers, but if you ask me what day it is I will very likely give you the wrong answer, however I can quote pretty obscure baseball stats if you ever have use for those (Jimmy Buffett wrote a song called "Useless But Important Information" that could easily describe a lot of things in my mind). Every once in a while, though, being able to remember dates and numbers does have some benefits.

May 10 just so happens to be one of those times. Eleven years ago, on May 10, 2011, I pulled into the parking lot at 11365 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, Missouri, for the first junior golf clinic at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital. That first junior golf clinic was the beginning of our weekly, year-round junior golf program at what quickly became one of my favorite places. Yes, you read that correctly. For 11 years we have had junior golf clinics every week, all year long, in St. Louis, and at a pediatric hospital. Kids have come to play golf in hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, and walking on their own. They have had to stop in the middle to take more medicine, get a quick check-up, or wait while a hospital staff member finds out why a machine is beeping. Many of the kids have never played golf before, and many have thought golf was something they would never be able to play. All of them have been included, shown they can play, and learned how much fun golf can be for everybody!

When I first started the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan after reading about a similar program at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew is I wanted to use my knowledge of the game of golf to help very sick children heal and get better. Over the last 11 years and more than 575 junior golf clinics (every once in a while we have two clinics a week), I think golf has done just that. One thing I quickly learned during the very first clinic is that there is no better feeling than putting a smile on the face of a child in a pediatric hospital. Golf has become a part of the "Care Beyond the Bedside" model of healthcare for the kids and just typing that brings a big smile to my face.

A successful junior golf program like the one at Ranken Jordan would not happen without continual support from a lot of people. I know one thing I am not good at is expressing my gratitude and appreciation for this support. So many of you have helped through kind words, volunteering your time, financial contributions, and so much more. All of the support is so greatly appreciated and has allowed the game of golf to make such a difference in the lives of so many children and their families. I cannot say thank you enough for all of you who have contributed in some way through the first 11 years, and I can tell you that we are just getting started! And to Janine Roe -- the biggest thank you of all for believing in the crazy guy who presented this idea to you. I am beyond lucky and fortunate to have the opportunity to spend time every Wednesday at Ranken Jordan teaching golf to and learning from some amazing kids. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Who Needs A Wheelchair?

 A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . .

"Do you think I can play golf since I'm in a wheelchair?"

"This is fun! I didn't think I could play golf!"

"I'm getting better at golf every week!"

Ok, so maybe these quotes were not said by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Princess Leia, but they were said at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital by one of our most dedicated junior golfers over the span of the past several weeks. Today when I got to Ranken Jordan and got everything set up for golf, I was greeted by something that had me speechless -- the same junior golfer who said these things and has been in a wheelchair for far too long, walked outside for golf! During the next hour I was in awe as I watched this junior golfer stand with their walker and hit golf balls! We made a few minor tweaks to the swing and soon enough golf ball after golf ball was being knocked across Ranken Jordan National Golf Links and onto the two putting greens!

"Standing up to hit golf balls is so much more fun than sitting in my wheelchair!"

"Did you see that?! I hit that one really far!"

"I could stand here and hit golf balls all day!"

These comments are the type of things we heard all afternoon, and there was also a huge smile to go along with everything said! Days like today provide some of the most rewarding moments possible. When teaching golf to children in a pediatric hospital, success and progress are not thought of the same way as many would think. Typically people look at score, driving distance, or in the case of junior golfers, being able to move back a set of tees, as ways to define success and progress. With medically complex children, we look at getting out of a wheelchair to stand and hit golf balls, being able to hold the golf club independently, or increasing the number of golf balls hit, as measurements of success and progress. No, it is not the "traditional" way of gauging improvement in golf, but golf is so much more than just a game. Golf truly is a healing tool and when you see proof of that in front of you, it leaves you at a loss for words and with an overwhelming sense of gratitude that you get to see it. I understand that every Wednesday afternoon I am the one teaching golf to the kids, but the kids are the ones giving the lessons every week.