By Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel
Oct. 21, 2009
Basheer Anthony may very well wonder someday how he could have won a gold medal in World Cup speedskating, in Japan, in the women’s 1,000 meters, 10 years before he was born.
His mother will happily explain he earned that medal by being a real champ - tough and brave - after he burned 20% of his body in an accident in the kitchen, when he was 5; and how he had giggled and beamed that day in October, when Olympic skating champion Bonnie Blair put that shiny medal around his neck, during a visit to the burn unit in Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
The gesture - an athlete sharing the reward for her hard work to inspire a young boy in his own struggle – will be repeated dozens of times in different variations through the fledgling Medals4Mettle program in Milwaukee.
Since it opened in November, the local chapter has collected more than 200 medals from athletes who earned them in marathons, triathlons and other contests. The medals will be awarded to children and adults who are showing their mettle in fights with illnesses.
Physician Steven Isenberg of Indianapolis, Ind., created Medals4Mettle in 2005, drawing on the parallels between the training and persistence required of athletes and the courage and perseverance of his patients.
At Children’s Hospital, a half-dozen athletes shared their treasures with children in the burn clinic on Wednesday. The group included professional triathletes Heather Haviland and Lauren Jensen, local racer Roy Smalley and cross-country champion Gabby Levac.
The senior from Hartland-Arrowhead actually got an early start on the program by donating her winner’s medal from the 2008 state championship to a runner friend battling liver disease. It was the work that went into the medal that made the gift meaningful, Levac said.
Blair, who won five Olympic goal medals, offered a similar, thoughtful, perspective.
“We did something very challenging and something that was difficult that was laid out in front of us,” she said. “It wasn’t a life or death situation, but something where we worked very hard to gain the success.
“The success they’re looking for is a cure, another day, another year. Their challenge is far greater than ours, but maybe the medal is that token that lets them know somebody’s thinking about them, somebody cares. We want them to reach for their goals and dreams and for life.”
The donors recognize that a medal from the Lakefront Marathon won’t cure a child with cancer. The recognition, though, will have a greater impact than some would imagine, according to Thomas Sato, a pediatric surgeon at Children’s Hospital.
The medals are examples of success, what can be attained through hard work, even after failures, Sato said. They help make sick children feel like winners.
“A positive psychological outlook has an incredible impact on the speed of recovery, and it significantly lessens the need for pain medication,” Sato said.
Anthony’s smile seemed to prove Sato’s point, and his mother, Mary Neals, predicted the gold medal would give him confidence and self-esteem.
Pam Kassner is the coordinator of the Milwaukee Medals4Mettle chapter. Athletes can contribute medals from marathons, half-marathons and triathlons by mailing them to: M4M Milwaukee, N27 W26458 Christian Court West, Suite B, Pewaukee, Wis., 53072.
She can be contacted at pam.kassner@medals4mettle.org.
