I
first discovered pickleball on a
whim in the summer of 2011. I
was working as a Pulmonary and
Critical Care physician in Bend,
Oregon, at that time. I remember
reading an article in the local
paper about a retired couple, Irene
and AJ Fraties, who were hoping to
introduce the game of pickleball to
Central Oregon. They put out an open
invitation for anyone interested to
show up several times a week at tennis
courts that were essentially unused in
the community.
I remember the scene well. It was
sort of a flash mob comprised of about
a dozen or so retirees and some of us
younger folks with tennis, squash and
racquetball backgrounds. We set
up portable nets and put down
masking tape lines to make
temporary courts on which
we would play.
I found a certain appeal
to this quirky little game.
I didn’t take it seriously.
How could I, with its
absurd name and high-
pitched plinking sounds
from every shot. Irene
and AJ, along with others
who had wintered down
around Casa Grande and
Phoenix, assured me that it
was a highly competitive game
in the Southwest with tournaments
galore every weekend. They insisted
it was the fastest growing sport in
America. To me, it was just fun. Little
did I know it would become so much
more for me in the years to follow.
I started playing regularly and
gradually got pretty good at the game.
Then I had a patient come in to see me
in my pulmonary clinic. She said, “I
met you playing pickleball a few weeks
back and found out you were a lung
doctor. I wanted you to be my doctor.”
18
WHY
I PLAY
Dr. Kelley found a certain appeal
to this quirky little game. Little
did he know it would become so
much more for him.
By Dr. Chris
Then I had another person show up
in the clinic with a similar story. Then
another, and another and so on. Before
I knew it, I had about 25 patients who
were seeing me simply because they
had met me on the courts and wanted
a lung doctor who could help them
with their breathing while playing.
This got me thinking a lot about
what I do as a doctor and how I can
affect patients’ lives in a positive way.
One thing I’ve learned in my nearly
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20 years of practicing medicine is that
there is no single pill that will help
people remain young. What works the
best is to never stop moving.
I treat hundreds of men and women
who are or were smokers. I treat many
others with asthma, COPD, pulmonary
fibrosis and sometimes lung cancer.
Many of my patients are seriously
hampered by their conditions.
Regardless of my recommendations to
remain active and exercise regularly,
many of my patients retreat to their
homes, sit down, turn on the TV
and stop moving. Here I was with a
population of retirees who were active
and wanted to stay active by playing
pickleball. One of my patients
was so inspired to play that
he did so—and continues
to do so—while wearing
his portable oxygen
concentrator!
I realized that by
playing pickleball
regularly in the
community of Bend,
I could inspire my
patients to take
charge of their lives,
remain active into
their advanced
years, socialize, have
fun, and stay as young
of mind and body as
possible. This may be
some of the best medicine I’ve ever
offered. This is why I play. •
T.C. Kelley (aka Dr. Chris) is a Pulmonary and
Critical Care Physician at Alaska Native Medical
Center in Anchorage, Alaska. He is a USAPA
Ambassador for Alaska and is committed to
growing the game in the nation’s largest state. He
lives with his wife and five cats in Anchorage.
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