The following is the speech given
by Aaron Baral at the 2007 event. Aaron is a 16 year old
leukemia patient who's words capture the spirit and inspiration
for Golf Fore the Kids better than any we could have written
Thank you golfers and supporters for coming
today. I bet most of you know Jacob Osit. Well, Jacob and
I have a lot in common. Our moms are both actuaries and
friends. Jacob slept in the baby bed I slept in. I've known
Jacob since he was born. And we both have cancer.
When I was diagnosed with leukemia Thanksgiving
2005, it hit me and my family like a ton of bricks. Although
I've completed the roughest phase of treatment, I'll continue
with chemo until January 2008, Seven more months, but who's
counting?
The word cancer is very scary. You think of
things you lose. You lose your hair. You lose your lunch.
And for a while, you lose your smile. But you gain some
things, too. I gained perspective. I learned to smile at
the smallest things, because it's the smallest things that
matter. I gained an appreciation of the doctors, nurses
and staff. I also gained a deep love for my friends and
family.
I don't remember much from my first stay at
the hospital. But one thing I do remember is my brother
wheeling in a huge Nintendo game station cart into the room.
The plaque on it said, "Donated by Golf Fore the Kids."
You helped our family get through those first difficult
weeks. I think it was the first time my brother beat me
at Nintendo. But then again, I had six IVs cramping my style.
But that's not all Golf Fore the Kids has
done. My pal Dr. Deutsch was real important to me. He taught
me self-hypnosis. Yup, that's right, he taught me how to
hypnotize myself. On Thursday mornings, he would come to
my room. We would focus on different techniques. Before
long, I was pretty good at making my hand numb. Whenever
I was in a tough situation or in pain, I would make myself
go to the beach. I can still feel the red mist, Dr. Deutsch.
Thanks for not making me quack like a duck, or worse, making
me into a Yankee fan.
Do you know why people like Dr. Deutsch are
so important? On the outside, you can see the hair loss
and the steroid-induced weight gain. What you can't see
is the constant pain that cancer treatment brings. Dr. Deutch
shows kids ways to deal with the pain.
More research is needed. The protocol I'm
on is from 1986. I wasn't even born in 1986! After not being
allergic to anything in my life, I had allergic reactions
to four different drugs. We need research to find new drugs.
We have to find better ways to beat cancer. I mean, radiation
treatments didn't make me glow or anything, but radiation
harms even healthy cells. We have to find a better way.
Your contribution to Golf Fore the Kids helps
provide funding for that research. You are helping us find
a better way. There are lots of things us kids with cancer
need. But mostly we need a chance to smile. Golf Fore the
Kids helps give kids back their smiles.
Thank you.
