COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – It’s a welcomed distraction when families need it most.
“As soon as the players came in, he lit up, took his medicine as he should and everything went smoothly from there,” said Kenneth McFadden, a parent of a child at the hospital.
21 players from the University of South Carolina football team visited the kids at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands. The players spent the morning going room to room visiting patients, playing games, bringing gifts, and spending quality time with some of their young fans.
“It’s just great to see them smile and have a good time and kind of, hopefully, change their day just a little bit,” said Colin Bryant, a linebacker for the Gamecocks.
Gunnar Yocum, the long snapper for the Gamecocks, brought the idea to coach Shane Beamer to have the team visit the hospital. Yocum shared his story about how, before he ever put on a Gamecock jersey, he once walked through his own battle with cancer.
“The reason I’m so passionate about this is because when I was 15 years old I was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor. Luckily, that tumor was able to be removed through surgery. Unfortunately, it still left much of the cancer in my body throughout my lymph nodes. After 14 months of treatment and countless doctors visits, I’m glad to say that I was pronounced cancer-free,” Yocum said.
Yocum said his battle took a massive toll on him and his family, but he shared a word of encouragement that he once received when he was struggling.
“My mom always told me that God puts the toughest challenges on the strongest people because those are the ones who can overcome it,” Yocum shared.
For the kids at the hospital, their situation is out of their control, but for a few hours, they could forget about why they’re in the hospital and instead focus on just being a kid. It’s something that Kenneth and Tamisha McFadden, the parents of a child in the hospital, said is priceless.
“It means everything, he’s back to his normal self now,” Kenneth McFadden said.
Annie Insley, the child life specialist at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Midlands, said the players spending time with the kids was a nice change of pace to their everyday routines.
“Being in the hospital isn’t fun, so to just have something to bring them some joy while they’re here is really special,” Insley said.
It’s a feeling of joy and connection that impacts not just the kids, but the players too.
“It means a lot giving back to these kids making sure they can still have fun, still have a good time, it’s those moments,” said Isaiah McClary, a defensive back for the Gamecocks.
Christy Fink, the manager of child life and special programs at the hospital, said the players visiting shows how they are using their platform to connect with others beyond the football field.
“Football can be such a platform and these guys showing up today I think that it shows the community like yes football is important, but we still have kids here that are battling to get out of this hospital who would like to actually go to a game,” Fink said.
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