June 2, 2010 – Durham, NC: Imagine: 18 kids, ranging in age from 1 to 16 years old, swinging golf clubs (watch out!), riding in golf carts, and even chasing the geese off the local golf course, located just a mile from Duke Hospital. This was the scene at the first H.E.A.R.T.S. Club Fun Day, held on June 2nd at the Hillandale Golf Course. Patients, siblings, and parents gathered for a day where the only rule on the course was "that there were no rules."
The motivation behind this special event was to provide an outlet for PBMT families to get out in the fresh air, have fun, and get to know one another as well as the staff at Hillandale Golf Course. Every kid received an appropriate sized golf club to use for the event – and then was able to take it home at the end of the day. In addition to the staff at Hillandale, a few other local golf professionals provided instruction to the kids, many of whom had never played golf, on the basics of a swing and how to tee up a ball. A delicious pizza dinner was donated by Randy’s Pizza and a special H.E.A.R.T.S. Club cake was served, with the names of the 31 patients who have been a part of the Club on the cake!
This event extends out of the three year relationship Duke PBMT has had with Hillandale Golf Course. They created the H.E.A.R.T.S. Club, (Hillandale Embracing A Really Tough Situation), which provides free rounds of golf, golf cart rides, and the opportunity to hit balls on the driving range at no cost to PBMT families. Their hope is to create a "home away from home" for our patients and families – an opportunity to clear their heads, breathe fresh air, and know they are really cared for by the Durham community.
"We would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Hillandale Golf Course, especially Karl Kimball and Fran James, for providing an extraordinary event for Duke PBMT families. We appreciate the loving, safe environment you create for our patients to have fun and for parents to take a break from the hospital environment." stated a Duke Hospital representative.
If any Duke pediatric bone marrow transplant (PBMT) family would like to find out about the H.E.A.R.T.S. Club, please contact a Duke Family Support Program staff member for more information.
About the Duke Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program
The Division of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke is an internationally recognized program dedicated to providing outstanding care and support to pediatric patients who can be helped by transplantation therapy. The program is known to be a leader in both established techniques and research initiatives. Under the direction of Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., the program has performed approximately 1200 autologous and allogeneic transplants in children with cancer or genetic diseases since 1990. You can contact the Division of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke by calling (919) 668-1100.
About Hillandale Golf Course and Pro Shop
Originally designed by Donald Ross and Perry Maxwell, Hillandale Golf Course is the Granddaddy of Raleigh-Durham, NC area golf courses. Annually, an average of 45,000 rounds is played and nearly 1.7 million rounds have been played since 1960. This popularity can easily be attributed to its user-friendly design. The public golf course provides a challenge to golfers of all skill levels. Hillandale Golf Course is also home to the nationally-acclaimed Hillandale Golf Shop. The Hillandale Pro Shop was named the #1 golf shop in America in 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1999. Golfers travel from all around the Raleigh-Durham area and beyond knowing that Hillandale Golf Course and Pro Shop will meet all of their golf needs. Contact the Hillandale Golf Course including to book a tee time by call (919) 286-4211.
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