By Scott Dixon
RIVERSIDE, Iowa – Over the calls of the Canada Geese flying above the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course rings the sound of laughter and cheers. The large group of Veterans and Caregivers are reveling in their excitement as they prepare for a week of golf instruction using some of the adaptive tools available to them at the National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic. For many of those in attendance, this is so much more than a golf lesson. It’s a chance to meet other Vets who are overcoming their disabilities and see that they’re not alone.
Steven Thompson of Chicago, Illinois spent seven years in the Navy. He wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps and enlist as soon as he graduated high school, but his mother told him to wait until he turned 18. An avid swimmer since childhood, Steven was right at home serving with his companions in the Navy.
“He has also been a gifted athlete for most of his life,” said his wife, Felicia. “He’s just naturally inclined at sports. The golf instructor gave him a little advice and suddenly he’s hitting the ball another 25 yards.”
In early 2020, Steven was standing on some scaffolding when it collapsed, shattering his right leg just above the ankle. After doctors made some repairs, it was found that Steven needed to undergo a triple bypass for a blockage in his heart. While recovering from that surgery, Steven contracted COVID-19. After several weeks of recovery, doctors noticed his leg was not healing properly and told Steven he may need to have the leg amputated if it did not begin to heal. After getting a second opinion at the VA, Steven decided to move forward with the amputation.
“In the 40 years since I left the military, I hadn’t taken advantage of my benefits,” Steven said. However, when he got that second opinion on his leg, he noticed the quality of care available at his local VA hospital.
“They will bend over backward for you there,” he says about his care team. “They’re calling and texting, they’re on top of it.”
Steven has been keeping active with some help from the Chicago Park district rehab and says they pointed him toward the National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic. He missed out on the 2023 clinic but made sure he was one of the first to apply this year.
“It’s well worth it,” he said. For Steven, the instructors and the sense of community being built between all the Veterans in attendance will bring him back year after year.
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