The Fund A Cure luncheon on Thursday, November 5, was a tough one to cover. Sure, it was at Brook Hollow, and there was no raffle, no auction, no heads-or-tails games. It was one of those occasions that went straight to the hearts of those present and had many of the vet fundraisers talking the rest of the day.
So what made this one different? For one thing, the keynote speaker was 80-year-old coaching legend Gene Stallings, who had driven down that morning from his Paris ranch. His wife Ruth Ann had wanted to be there, but she had broken her shoulder and had a neighbor who needed help.
But the longtime Dallas Cowboys secondary coach wasn’t in a room of strangers. Gene’s former Cowboys players Roger Staubach, Charlie Waters, Cliff Harris and Lee Roy Jordan were on hand. They were all old hands at posing for photos and meeting new best buds. On the sidelines were former Cowboys wives like Marianne Staubach and Biddie Jordan.
When Luncheon Co-Chairs Tricia and Kenn George got the guests to finally settle down, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Youth Ambassador/Greenhill 7th grader Leah Nutkis, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 9, addressed the group. Having gone through more than 1,000 finger pricks, the 12-year-old athlete/artist/musician’s message was to the point: “Type 1 Diabetes is what I have, not what I am.”
Then Kenn introduced Honorary Chair Roger. Why shoot! The way Kenn talked, one would have thought Staubach was the keynoter.
Roger then took the podium to introduce Gene. While blushing from Kenn’s intro, Roger’s introduction of Gene reflected the importance of the man that Cowboys champs, football worshippers and great people respect. At one point, in recalling Stallings’ son, John Mark, Roger hesitated. That hesitation lingered. The Heisman Trophy winner/Super Bowl champ was caught in the moment. He shared his memory of the youth, who was born in 1962 with Downs syndrome and had made such a memorable impression on the the legendary team. As Roger spoke, the Cowboys vets at a nearby table appeared to also be reflecting on their own memories of “Johnny.”
Touched by Roger’s intro and the inclusion of John Mark, Gene told how John Mark would go with his dad to the Cowboys’ Saturday workouts and receive a football from the Cowboy greats. But he never took the balls home. Instead he would give them to the kids outside the practice field waiting to get a glimpse of their heroes.
Gene then recalled how in preparing John Mark to meet the legendary Dallas Cowboys Coach Tom Landry, they practiced and practiced. He told John Mark that they would go into the coach’s dressing room and Gene would say, “Coach Landry, I would like you to meet my son Johnny. Johnny, I’d like you to meet Coach Landry.” Gene then told the youngster that his response was to be, “Glad to meet you, Coach Landry.” According to Gene, “We went over it 50 times. We had it down.” When the big moment came, Gene recited his part of the introductions. Johnny’s response: “Hi, Tom.”
In early August 2008 John Mark, who also suffered from a congenital heart defect, was having a rough day. When his father said good night to him and asked if he was all right, John Mark said, “I fine.” The next morning John Mark died.
But the luncheon this day was not about the past and John Mark. It was about John Mark’s niece, Anna Kate Gunn, who at the age of 11 months was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Gene admitted that when he arrived at the hospital after receiving a call from his daughter that Anna Kate might not survive, he was not at his best. While Gene didn’t go into detail, all got the message that he was very upset.
But this initial reaction led him to his joining the war against diabetes. This stealth killer had met its comeuppance in Gene. With his low Texas-accented voice, he told of the agonizing days that his granddaughter, like Youth Ambassador Leah Nutkis, had experienced. In their youthful lives, they had suffered thousands upon thousands of finger pricks, blood tests and scares. Still they were bound and determined to maintain some kind of normalcy.
Gene then shared something that now 18-year-old Anna Kate had written. He fessed up that he hadn’t asked her permission (“It’s a whole lot easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”). According to Anna Kate, “Unfortunately, I was dealt a significant life challenge at a very young age. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes before my first birthday. I decided to take ownership of my caring at the ripe old age of four. It was then that I resolved that I would be the only one that would give me insulin shots again. I determined to do it myself. Since that time I have given myself roughly 23,000 shots, pricked my finger and tested my blood an estimated 50,000 times. I am now and at a very early age have determined to lead as normal life as possible. I believe everyone has a unique challenge. But it’s how one chooses to deal with these challenges which ultimately defines them…Each day I have the opportunity to complain and tell about the negative aspects of juvenile diabetes and how it impacts my daily life. I could, but I won’t.”
In addition to speaking before Congress, Anna Kate and her folks launched a fundraising walk in her hometown of Waco in 1999 that has raised close to $1M over the years.
In conclusion, the man, who has worked with the most physically fit athletes in the world, said he would give up his ranch and everything he had just to see a cure for diabetes.
At some point in his talk, his reputation as a football legend seemed to take a backseat to his being a fearless crusader against a disease that affects “as many as three million people in the United States” with “approximately 15,000 children and 15,000 adults” being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the U.S.” each year.
His words were touching, so much so that even the most jaded fundraising attendee was mesmerized by his passion and compassion.
In conclusion, he read a letter that he received last December from a woman with a severely handicapped child, both mentally and physically. In it she wrote “about the joys of raising that child and the struggles of raising that child.” Then she added, “Life is not about waiting until the storm passes you by. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” Gene repeated that last part, “Learning how to dance in the rain. Little Johnny and Anna Kate…they have taught me how to dance in the rain. It’s doing the best we can with what you’ve got.”
With that, he concluded his talk and received an immediate standing ovation for “dancing in the rain.”
Pam says
What a special presentation we experienced that day!!! I was actually telling my Thanksgiving guests about the luncheon and quoted those two stories about Johnny. But, as you say, the luncheon was about hope… One of the best luncheons this fall!!