Golf tournament to benefit dying Midlander with Lou Gehrig's disease
Jimmy Patterson<br>Online Editor
Midland Reporter-Telegram
08/07/2006

- Jay Ewing
By Jimmy Patterson


Online Editor




When Jay Ewing told his story of living with Lou Gehrig's Disease to the Midland Reporter-Telegram earlier this year, he made innocent mention of his desire to visit Washington, D.C.


Ewing no longer needs to thank God for the Travel Channel. Instead, he can thank God for his friends, something he has done his entire life anyway. A handful of Ewing's friends are organizing an August 26 golf tournament at Hogan Park to help defray expenses for Ewing's much-desired trip to the nation's capitol in late September.


Ewing's debilitating battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has reached troubling stages. It has become difficult for him to speak for any length of time and his mobility has sharply curtailed in the last several weeks and is now only able to use one finger to control his automatic wheelchair.


"This is kind of like Jay's Make-a-Wish, but Make-a-Wish is only for children," said Salita White, one of the tournament organizers, and Ewing's friend since the two were small children. "Jay has a wish to go to Washington and this is our way of helping raise the money."


White says she didn't want to just ask people for money, but wanted to give them an opportunity to participate in the giving process and be able to benefit by playing golf.


White said she hopes to fill the field with 32 teams of four players each (entry and sponsor information is listed below). White said people have shown interest in helping and money has begun to come in for the event.


Ewing's wife Kelly, a labor and delivery nurse at Midland Memorial Hospital, says she finds herself again overwhelmed at the generosity of Midlanders.


"We woudn't be able to go without this help," Kelly Ewing said. "I knew he'd wanted to go and we had thought about it, but we knew there was no way we could do it financially. The people in Midland have just been great and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Jay."


The Ewings are working out the details of the trip and hope to visit Washington, Sept. 18-25. One man who heard of the effort to send the Ewings began to organize an effort to work with Congressman Mike Conaway's office to arrange for a visit with President Bush, though organizers feel that may be a long shot.


"We're hoping he'll feel well when he goes," White said. "In a way, the trip is giving him something to live for and look forward to."


For more information or to help with a sponsorship with the Jay Ewing Benefit Golf tournament, call Salita White or Teresa Hansen at 684-5544.






JAY EWING BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT


AUGUST 26, 2006


HOGAN PARK GOLF COURSE


MIDLAND, TEXAS
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news...d=475626&rfi=6