Tuesday, July 6, 2010

GOLF AFTER BREAST CANCER - A TRUE AND INSPIRATIONAL STORY



 
JENSEN BEACH, Florida - Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing 18 holes with a beautiful woman. She was not only pretty but also had a knockout figure. And as our round of golf progressed, I became more and more impressed with her golf game - in particular, her irons. In order to paint a better picture, I'll say that she didn't hit it extra-long but had a classic swing and drew the ball consistently. Personality-wise, she was a pleasure to be with, had a great sense of humor and didn't take herself too seriously.

Naturally, she was impressed as heck with my OVER THE TOP GOLF swing. Thank God I was also hitting good shots. So golfing-wise, the day couldn't have gone any better.

As our round continued, we talked about her life a little bit. A runner who has done four sub-four hour marathons, about two years ago breast cancer was discovered in one breast so she decided to undergo a double mastectomy. Months of chemotherapy followed along with breast reconstruction that involved wearing plastic "expanders" to stretch her skin. One unfortunate thing was that, after chemo and at about the time the expanders were to come out and the silicone to go in, her white cell count was too low meaning the plastic surgeon couldn't operate. She ended up sleeping on her back for eight months. There was more, of course, how her long, flowing hair fell out and ended up growing back as curly as Cheez Doodles.

But the best part was when she stepped up to the first tee, not having swung a golf club in two years, and ripped a nice high draw out into the fairway.

This gal, who also happens to be my lovely wife Kathleen, had beat cancer and gone through a tough rehab but her recovery wasn't complete until this moment. "I didn't know whether I'd be able to hit a golf ball with these boobs," she said. As the day went on I could see her smile getting a little bigger, the satisfaction showing after she'd made crisp, almost imperceptible contact with the ball. It was a triumph in spirit and a joy to behold.

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Keywords for this article: golf, swing, over the top, lesson, instruction, eBook, breast cancer, golf, golf DVD, golf for women, golf instruction, golf lesson, golf swing optimization, Kathleen Colletta, marathon, over the top golf swing, women's golf
Revised 09-03-2012

 

14 comments:

liquidwater said...

my wife will love this, thank you

Anonymous said...

Very nice post and best of luck to Kathleen. Did you say 60 miles??

VANISHING POINT said...

The best post I've read this year-very inspirational. I hope that your wife stays cancer-free.

ElPocoDiablo said...

As someone whose health issues have forced my almost total withdrawal from golf and other physical activities, it's so uplifting to hear a story about someone who successfully battled her way back. This will help me, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Wow, great story about what must have been a very emotional day.
-Rhonda from Dallas, TX

Danny Guitar Player said...

Nice post Franklin. Well written too. The Washington Redskins are very active in breast cancer awareness,since the owners wife had it and survived.

kb said...

Beautiful, thank you and best wishes!

Over The Top Golf said...

Thanks so much to everybody who donated to Kath's cancer walk. It brought tears to her eyes.

Anonymous said...

Nice, inspiring story. Perserverence pays.

Betty said...

In our league, we've a number of breast cancer survivors. Every one of them is an inspiration to us all.

DOuG pRATt said...

My wife survived breast cancer last year, which she certainly didn't need on top of being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease ten years ago. But we were lucky, because the cancer was caught just in time, and she was able to avoid chemotherapy and radiation.

Here's hoping that both women continue to survive and thrive. Your wife's sub-4 marathon time is impressive. It's been a few years since I've managed that, due to several injuries since turning 50.

Anonymous said...

The breast cancer walk is going on today outside of Boston. Nice to see so much positive energy.

Lizzie O said...

Let me congratulate your wonderful wife on her courage.

AGolf said...

What a nice story. Very inspirational.