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.
Originally published July, 2010 here:
http://overthetopgolf.blogspot.com/2010/07/golf-after-breast-cancer-true-and.html
