Through adaptive golf program, father can play, not just watch
John Marrone was in a car accident in 1989 on an icy road in which he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He went through therapy and, according to wife Penny, "a miracle happened because he had a great recovery and was able to walk with a cane when we got married in 1991."
Things took a turn for the worse in 2014, though, when John was diagnosed with superficial siderosis, a rare condition in which blood enters the brain and spinal cord from a weak blood vessel, a tumor, or because of a previous head or spine injury. The breakdown of the blood leads to a buildup of iron in the brain. The toxic mix interferes with brain function.
The Marrones found E.Q. Sylvester of Hinsdale when Penny was searching online for how John could possibly golf in retirement.
The couple and son Joe drove from their home in Niagara, Ontario, to take part in the June 9 annual outing for the Freedom Golf Association, an organization Sylvester founded that helps people with disabilities golf.
John, who played many sports before the accident, is able to chip and putt from a single-rider golf cart, but he doesn't have the shoulder strength to take a full swing.
"Until FGA I could only watch Joe play sports growing up," John said. Now, "I can play a round of golf with him. Now I'm not just a fan but his teammate. It means a lot to Penny and me."
Penny wasn't a golfer until finding Freedom Golf, and she's now one of the organization's 42 adaptive coaches.
John is soft-spoken and can be difficult to understand at times, but he showed his sense of humor late in the charity outing at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club when - after camera crews filmed 12 unsuccessful putts on the 14th and 15th holes, then departed - Joe buried a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16.
"Where are the cameras now?" John deadpanned with an ear-to-ear smile.
There's no doubt the past few years have been difficult, but the Marrones attack each day with resilience. Penny summed it up in an email after the event at Cog Hill:
"With faith in our pocket we just keep moving forward. Much like walking the golf course … step up to the tee, say a little prayer, take your best shot and step forward onto the fairway to play each hole as it is presented to you. Through obstacles of sand, rough ground and trees, to easier fairways and finally smoother greens, trusting your ball will drop in the hole you aim for.
"(It's) like getting up for a new day. Gotta move on and all God asks is just go out there and do your best and believe in His time He will send another set of footprints to help you along your way."