Jack Strickland is a retired AP writer who is active in the war against cancer. He, himself, is a survivor.
As a reporter he covered many of the major stories in Florida.
He lives in Gainesville where he is an advocate for cancer patients of all ages. Jack finds special joy in getting
sports stars and teams involved in the care young cancer victims. He claims that the athletes benefit from the involvement
as much as the patients. He says he managed to miss many tackles as a football player long ago, and learned that defeat can be
temporary and serve as the foundation for success.
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Gator gymnastics team cheers cancer patients at Hope Lodge, will ‘pink-out’ for cancer tonight
February 10, 2012Gainesville
Gator gymnastics coach Rhonda Faehn always performs like an All American.
The skills she learned in college as an All American at UCLA, in the early nineties, are passed on to the Gators she coaches, today.
In the gym, her team is also made up of champions and All Americans.
They are presently ranked in the nation’s top five. In the community they are All Americans and champions in life. They are ranked number one in the hearts of the people they inspire.
Among other things, they provide courage and joy for people locked in horrific battles against cancer.
Bringing hope to cancer patients at Hope Lodge is a tradition with the magnificent young ladies in the Gator gymnastics program.
They were at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge Tuesday night, hosting dinner and uplifting the spirits of out-patients undergoing rigorous cancer treatments. It is an annual affair in support of efforts to find a cure as they brighten the lives of people with cancer.
On Friday night at the O’Connell center the Gators will host LSU in a “pink-out” – a dual meet with events around this event aimed to raise awareness about breast cancer. The team will wear pink in support of the Southeastern Conference initiative to bring attention to the fight against breast cancer.
A capacity crowd is expected and is asked to wear pink, too.
Tuesday at the Hope Lodge the team signed autographs and bounced from table to table, chatting with the residents, many of whom had spent spent a rough day at the hospital. They brightened spirits everywhere they went.
These champions are tiny and petite. But they stand as giants as their warm smiles radiate charm and charisma everywhere they go. They are fierce competitors. Some of the hunks on the Florida football team concede that the Gator gymnasts are the best athletes on campus.
The enthusiasm of these young ladies is contagious. Cancer patients, locked in fierce battles to survive, against long odds, draw strength and courage from them. The Lady Gators inspire a positive attitude which is extremely important in battling cancer.
These young athletes are prepared for anything. Their competition in the spotlight conditions them to handle challenges with ease. At a previous visit to Hope Lodge a group of us were captivated by two of the smaller members of the team. I asked one how tall she is. She responded, ” Five feet, even.”
I turned to her shorter teammate and asked, “How tall are you?” To the glee and laughter of everyone, she looked me right in the eye and stated, emphatically, “I am five foot, seven!”
“That’s exactly what I would have guessed,” I laughed.
A couple of years ago, when Tim Tebow was at Florida, he and other members of the football team made regular visits to Shands Hospital. Like the Gator gymnasts, they had a powerful influence and inspired real motivation for the patients fighting for their lives.
On a visit to a seven-year-old patient in isolation for a bone marrow transplant, huge offensive lineman Jon Halapio and I said good bye to the five -year- old sister of the of the patient we were visiting. She and her mother were staying with her brother in his Shands hospital suite.
The little girl startled me when she said, “I wish I had leukemia, too.”
I asked why she wished such a thing. “Everyone comes to see my brother. No one notices me.” she said.
I ran to Coach Faehn and asked her to rescue us from our ignorance. Coach sent some of the Gator gymnasts to Shands to visit the little girl and teach her some gymnastics maneuvers.
They invited the five year old, her mother, and grandmother to be guests of the Gators and sit at court side with the team at the Pink-Out meet that took place that weekend. It is a weekend all three will never forget. Neither will the big brother who was stuck in the hospital room.
On Monday after the Pink-Out, I stopped by to say hello to the patient. He was mad at me. “Y’all are taking this pink-out stuff way too far!” He said.“My sister is putting pink on everything. She went home and put a pick scarf on my dog!” he complained.
“You can take it off when you get home,” I told him.
“That’s not the worst of it.” he complained. “She painted his toe nails pink, too. It will take me weeks to get that stuff off!” he whined. Getting home to rescue his dog became a real motivation for the kid to do everything he could to expedite his healing. I checked on him this week.
He and his family are all fine and have positive memories of their adventures at Shands.
As the team competes on the journey toward the national championship, they will have a special group of fans cheering them on. Cancer patients far and wide will be pulling for them. Many cancer patients view the Gator gymnasts as their teammates in their battle for life.
Thank you Coach Rhonda Faehn for all that you and the gymnastic team do.