Keith hopes lung transplant will help him beat Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency genetic disease
Lawrence, Kan. (June, 28, 2016) – Jimmy Keith knew something was terribly wrong when he had trouble breathing in the summer of 2011.
“It was like I hit a wall, and I just slowed down after that,” said Keith, a former certified golf course superintendent at Saint Charles Country Club outside of Chicago for 17 years. “I started putting on weight. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what it was.”
By the time he was properly diagnosed with the rare genetic disease Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in 2014, he had lost his job and was only breathing at 45 percent of his lung capacity.
Alpha-1 strikes those of northern European decent, and Keith is a perfect target, having Scottish and Irish lineage. It usually surfaces in the very young or early in adult life as liver or lung disease.
Looking back, the 46-year-old Keith recalls having pneumonia a couple of times in his 20s and 30s, and he would get sick with flu-like symptoms up to eight times a year. His weight ballooned to 310 pounds because he had become so inactive.
“I wasn’t able to do a whole lot,” said Keith, who recently drove from Chicago to Miami to attend an Alpha-1 National Education Conference to learn more about improving his quality of life. “Part of me didn’t want to know what was wrong, but I knew if I didn’t find out I wasn’t ever going to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle and hold hands with my grandchildren
“When I was diagnosed, I was devastated,” said Keith, who has been a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for 25 years. “When you read about it, it paints a bleak picture for you, but I am not going to sit and wallow in it. I get blood plasma infusions and try to be as active as I can be. You have to be happy with what you can do and not worry about what you can’t do any longer. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I get angry when that happens.”
Today, Keith is on oxygen 24 hours a day, and he is part of a national clinical study sponsored by the Alpha-1 Foundation. He has gotten his weight back down to 220 pounds in order to be a candidate for lung transplant surgery down the road. A liver transplant may also be needed in the next few years.
All the while, the bills have been mounting. His wife, Melanie, works for Edward Jones financial services, and they have health insurance. But it isn’t enough.
That’s where the Wee One Foundation stepped in.
Wee One was founded in 2004 to aid Wayne Otto, a cancer patient and former certified golf course superintendent. It has grown to assist other golf course management professionals who incur overwhelming expenses due to medical hardship. Executive Director Luke Cella has seen the Foundation grow to $1 million in resources to help people like Keith.
“”There are so many hidden expenses that come up when people suffer from illness. The Wee One helps to take some of the worry about finances away so they can focus on their health and healing,” said Cella, a former superintendent who oversees 10 national events to help raise funds for the Foundation, which has helped more than 80 families in 23 states. “After a need is verified, a gift is given. It is up to the recipient to use the funds where they are needed the most.”
“If it were not for Wee One, I would have lost everything I have,” said Keith. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be a recipient. I am humbled by what they have done for me.
“I hope that I can get back on my feet someday and get involved with Wee One and be able to pay back the money they gave to me so we can help someone else. Wee One is a wonderful group, and I am living proof of what they have done to help one of their own.”
Keith also owes a debt of gratitude to Warren Shafer and Scotty Spienden, the owner director of sales at his most recent employer Growing Solutions, Inc., a water treatment and injection company based in New Lenox, Ill. The company kept Keith on the payroll for some time after he was diagnosed and too sick to work.
“There’s not a better company out there,” said Keith. “They stuck by me and my family after my diagnosis, and I owe everything to them, along with the Wee One Foundation.”
Keith remains upbeat for the future. He still enjoys an occasional fishing trip and has visions of living to a ripe, old age. He watches what he eats and remains as active as he can. He is one of the organizers for the Prairie Walk for the Cure of Alpha-1 on Aug. 27 at the Historic Corron Farm in Campton Hills, Ill. More information is available at www.2016PrairieWalk.kintera.org.
“I loved my career and I am blessed where I am at,” said Keith, who is now on full disability. “I miss the sunrises and sunsets, the sprinklers and seeing the deer in the early morning. There is a true bond between all superintendents and I carry that bond.”
Forever.
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org. or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Contact:
Craig Smith, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 800-472-7878, ext. 4431 or 785-691-9197 (cell)
csmith@gcsaa.org
