On Monday June 6. I attended the dinner following the 50th Mott Golf Classic. I drove to Barton Hills Country Club from Petoskey in the morning, and I returned to Petoskey following the event late Monday evening. It was worth the eight hours I spent in my car to attend the dinner.
The Mott Golf Classic is near and dear to my heart. Over 30 years ago, after participating in the event for many years, Dave Southwell, Rick Bossard, Joe Diederich, and I decided to take over leadership of the event and make it the biggest and best children’s hospital golf outing in the country. In our first event we filled Travis Pointe Country Club with 144 golfers, who paid $5,000 a foursome to attend the event. In our second year we increased the donations by selling mulligans for $5 per mulligan. We knew we were on to something when we sold over 100 mulligans that first day. Eventually the event grew to filling three courses with over 400 golfers paying a minimum of $6,000 per foursome and over $25,000 in mulligans. We eventually made our goal of making it a million-dollar event.
I stepped down from the MGC committee right before Covid-19 hit in 2019. Due to Covid-19, the event was on hold for two years. Under the leadership of Joe Kryza, this year’s event, the first full event since Covid-19, didn’t miss a beat. Over 400 golfers participated and once again $1 million was raised.
At each dinner the MGC honors a former patient and their families. This year’s honorees were Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin, twin 2-year-old girls who spent the first 13 months of their lives as conjoined twins. They were conjoined at the sternum from their neck to their belly button.
At the dinner, the story of their medical journey was told by one of the physicians who helped perform the surgery that separated Sarabeth and Amelia. There over 30 caregivers involved in the surgery alone. The team practiced for the surgery using prototypes made from 3D printers. They practiced so much the surgery went better than anyone could of expected. As part of the presentation a video with footage from the actual surgery was shown to the audience. It was an amazing story.
As I was listening and watching the presentation, I kept glancing over to Sarabeth and Amelia, who were just like any other 2-year-old trying to sit through an hour-long dinner. They were squirming in their seats, trying to get down while mom and dad were trying to keep them under control during the ceremony. It was such a beautiful thing to watch.
After the event was over, I ran into Sarabeth and Amelia’s father Phil in the hallway, We talked for 10-15 minutes. It is hard to believe that someone who is only 32 years old, can be so calm and easy going after all that he and his family has been through. His appreciation for the entire team of caregivers at Mott and they way he and his family were treated made him feel like family. I was fascinated by two things he said during our conversation. When he saw the girls in separate beds following the surgery, he realized it was the first time in their life they were not connected, and he was overcome with emotion. The second was his concern for Sarabeth and Amelia’s older sister, Kennedy, who was attending kindergarten in the fall following the surgery. Phil wanted to make sure Kennedy’s teacher understood what Kennedy had been through, so if Kennedy started telling her classmates about her sisters who were connected and had to be cut apart, the teacher would know that Kennedy was not making things up and she didn’t have a vivid imagination.
As I was driving back to Petoskey I was reminded of how blessed we are in Washtenaw County to have an asset like Michigan Medicine when we are in need of complex medical care.
Video of the Day” Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin
Quote of the Day: .” Now watching them, it seems so natural. It makes you think back to all that happened and wonder ‘was it all just a dream? Was that even real? “They shared everything before – nap time, getting dressed, being held. If one needed something, you had to grab both at the same time. But they are definitely different people and as individual as can be. It’s been so rewarding to watch them explore the world.”. Phil Irwin, Sarabeth’s and Amelia’s dad
Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence?
Orchid of the Day: Joe Kryza and the Mott Golf Classic Committee for not missing a beat after a two year covid-19 pause.
Onion of the Day: No onion today. I do not want to take away from the joy of the Irwin family story.
Question of the Day: How many places in the world have better access to outstanding health care than Washtenaw County?