Pickleball Magazine 4-2 WD | Page 35

I n late December, ESPN aired the Margaritaville 2018 USA Pickleball National Championships held in November in Indian Wells, CA. “To have an organization like ESPN express interest is a major step that’s going to increase the awareness of our sport who knows how many times over,” said Jack Thomas, President of USAPA. As the sport grows, so will its support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2016, the USAPA chose St. Jude as its designated charity. This link between the sport Thomas loves and the charity he admires makes him happier than a win on the court because, in 2014, his grandson Andrew was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer, and it was St. Jude that saved his life. A Rare Cancer Thomas’ daughter, Holly, had been concerned for a few years about a mole growing on her son Andrew’s back. In 2014, a doctor agreed to remove and biopsy the spot. It was spitzoid melanoma, a very rare skin cancer. At the time, Andrew was only 10 years old. Over the next two weeks, his parents met with local doctors and contacted specialists from across the United States in an urgent search for treatment. Finally, they found St. Jude, and three days later were on a plane to Memphis, TN, from their home in Arizona. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened 50 years ago. “We were so fortunate that St. Jude had one of the top experts in spitzoid melanoma,” said Thomas. “He was familiar with it and had written a substantial amount of research on it.” Andrew’s treatment at St. Jude included excision at the tumor site and a lymphadenectomy under his left arm. Certainly it was a stressful time for the family, but Thomas says the most surprising thing about visiting his grandson at St. Jude was how cheerful it was. “It’s one of the happiest places I’ve ever been involved with,” he recalled. “I know it sounds strange, but despite all the concerns about the children and their illnesses, when you walk in those doors, you see nothing but happy. All of the posters and artwork are positive. The care they gave Andrew, the openness, the consultations with the physicians and the nurses—all of that— it’s truly an amazing place. And no one has ever paid even a penny for their child’s treatment. That’s remarkable.” Today, Andrew returns just for checkups. He’s in high school and thriving. And, like his grandfather, Andrew is an athlete through and through. “He’s a tremendous baseball player,” said Thomas, “a tremendous athlete, but specifically he’s really a great, young baseball player.” A Chance to Do Good In 2011, Jack Thomas and his wife arrived for dinner just before 5 p.m. on a Sunday night in Fountain Hills, AZ. But, first, their friends wanted to introduce them to a game that combined aspects of table tennis, tennis and badminton. So the couples took to the court for a quick game of pickleball. “Long story short, dinner didn’t happen until around 9:00,” said Thomas. “They couldn’t get me off the court, I was having so much fun.” Since then, Thomas has served on the board of the USAPA and, this past year as the board president, he’s seen the sport hit the big time. Pickleball, which was created in 1965, now has approximately 3.1 million players and has been called the fastest-growing sport. The mission of the USAPA is to promote the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and its territories. “Now, our aspirations for the sport would ultimately be the Olympics, and we believe that can happen,” added Thomas. He feels special pride in knowing that as his sport grows, so does awareness of St. Jude in communities nationwide. “It’s really a neat feeling to have people understand just how important St. Jude is and how much St. Jude has given to families, and certainly to the children treated there,” said Thomas. Since November 2016, the USAPA has raised more than $55,000 for St. Jude through a variety of avenues. Some tournament participants have asked supporters to sponsor them by pledging 10 cents or a dollar per point. Many tournament organizers donate their entire tournament revenues after expenses to St. Jude, or earmark certain events within the tournament to go to the hospital. “People should support St. Jude to the max, whatever their max is, whatever they feel comfortable doing,” said Thomas. “It’s an amazing place. My grandson is here today because of St. Jude.” If you want to help support St. Jude, let your passions guide you to dedicate your next tournament or event and raise funds for St. Jude. https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/ stories/making-a-difference/jack-thomas- pickleball-usapa-partnership.html. • MARCH/APRIL 2019 | MAGAZINE 33