Members of the Greater Oklahoma City Pickleball Club with Jon and
Kristin.
on the couch and it was difficult to see any hope on the
horizon.”
One day, a friend invited Jon to play pickleball at
SFFLC. It took only that one morning and Jon was
hooked. Soon he was playing pickleball nearly every day
and rarely spent time on the couch. His energy level
went up, he was more engaged, and most importantly,
he was happy.
On the court, Jon often reminds other players not to
sweat the small stuff by saying, “It’s okay!” when a ball
is missed or called out, when a game is lost, or when
someone is just not having a good day on the court. His
contagious quote, “It’s okay!” has spread quickly through
the pickleball community, and his friends at SFFLC came
up with the idea to create a t-shirt featuring the saying
and promoting awareness of Alzheimer’s.
Members of the Greater Oklahoma Pickleball Club
(GOPC) began selling the t-shirts and donated 100
percent of the proceeds to a charity of Jon’s choice,
which was an easy decision—he wanted to give back to
the SFFLC that has provided the indoor space for him to
find his pickleball community.
The t-shirt sales raised more than $4,000 in Jon’s
honor to help fund the construction of the complex’s
first elevator. Ryan McClure, SFFLC Operations Manager,
said, “We are very grateful. The elevator will help
numerous people with disabilities to access the facility
and participate in sports, fitness and social activities,
which are so important for everyone.”
Construction has begun, and the elevator is projected
to be completed by the end of this year. Jon Harpman is
truly an inspiration to the entire community.
PICKLEBALL’S EFFECT ON THE BRAIN
AND MEMORY
Allison Morris, married 31 years to her husband, Lou,
and mother to Trey and Sarah, has a history of multiple
brain injuries that began at age 5. She suffered a string of
bad luck with numerous injuries from falling off a swing,
flipping off a picnic table and landing on her neck, and
multiple sports injuries.
“All of my brain injuries just added up. I ignored the
signs and symptoms, so they just got worse,” said Allison.
When her doctors tried a number of treatments to help
regain her memory, she was admitted into the hospital to
try to reboot her brain by doing bilateral ECT treatments.
After spending a month in the hospital with those
treatments, she had then lost 80 percent of her memory.
When Allison returned home, she knew who her
husband and kids were, but she had no idea how old they
were or how long she had been married. “My daughter
put a string from cabinet to cabinet in our den and hung
up pictures from when they were born to present day so
it would trigger memories for me,” she recalled.
Shortly after coming home from the hospital she
picked up her paddle—which she originally thought
belonged to her kids—and found an old email that had
details about the courts she used to play on when she
first picked up the sport, hoping to help her memory.
After arriving at the courts, she didn’t recognize
anyone, but they all knew her. One of those people was
Lyn Hibino, who had immediately fallen in love with
Allison’s fun spirit on the court and encouraged her to
keep coming back to play.
“After hearing
Allison’s story and
all that she has been
through,” shared Lyn,
“it makes me feel guilty
if I ever complain
about a sore muscle or
a body ache. She’s like
a superhero to me and
her tenacity is worth
admiring on and off
the court!”
Allison Morris (left) and Lyn Hibino on
the pickleball court.
Allison’s injuries
had changed her from
an outgoing social
butterfly to wanting to be alone. But as she began to
play pickleball again, she found a purpose and a group
of friends who were so patient and understanding in
re-teaching her the game and partnering with her in
tournaments.
“This pickleball community has meant the world to me
and has been such an awesome blessing,” said Allison.
“I have a new normal. I am still learning and just have
to take one day at a time. Thank you to all the pickleball
players in our community who have been there for me
every step of the way.” •
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | MAGAZINE 45