More than just a game

CHICAGO - Although in distance, Scottsbluff, Neb., and Chicago are nearly 1,000 miles apart, for at least one Nebraska family the Shriners Hospital for Children in Chicago couldn't feel more like home.

Five-month-old Ayden Kersenbrock of Scottsbluff made his first visit to the Chicago hospital just a month ago.

This week, the infant was back in Chicago with his family for surgery to repair a cleft lip, a separation in the two sides of his upper lip.

The Chicago hospital has been the model for cleft lip and palate repair for other Shriners Hospitals and has been treating patients like the young Kersenbrock with the congenital disorder for more than 35 years.

Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, affects one in 700 babies annually and is the fourth most common birth defect in the United States.

Following his surgery, the infant and his family are scheduled to return home to Nebraska Sunday.

Melissa Kersenbrock, Ayden's mother, said her family learned about the Shriners hospitals from their physician in Scottsbluff, whose father is a Shriner.

Two weeks after first learning about the Shriners Hospitals, Kersenbrock said her son was accepted as a patient at the Chicago hospital.

“The Shriners have been completely generous,” Melissa Kersenbrock said. “We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to come here.”

Originally, the Kersenbrocks had planned to take Ayden to a hospital in Denver for his surgery, but once they visited the Shriners hospital, Melissa Kersenbrock said they were “impressed” with the doctors and staff at the Chicago facility.

“We decided to stay with Shriners,” Melissa Kersenbrock said, “and it's amazing the help they have given us.”

For the first year after his initial surgery, Ayden Kersenbrock will make semi-annual visits to the Chicago hospital.

After that, his mother said, annual visits are planned.

Melissa Kersenbrock said her son may need one additional surgery for cosmetic purposes prior to starting preschool, but as a Shriners' patient he is eligible to receive services through his 21st birthday.

“Any work he needs, regarding his cleft, they'll take care of it,” Melissa Kersenbrock said.

Knowing help will be there if the need arises takes “a load” off a parents' mind, Melissa Kersenbrock said.

And all of the help provided through Shriners hospitals is free to patients and their families.

Ayden Kersenbrock was just one of the Chicago hospital patients members of the Nebraska Shrine Bowl football teams had the opportunity to meet and learn more about this week.

Football players and coaches who make up the North and South teams, which will compete in Saturday night's 6:30 p.m. Shrine Bowl at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, made separate trips to the Shriners Hospital in Chicago this week with the North team traveling on Tuesday and the South Wednesday.

A 60-bed hospital in the Oak Park area, Shriners-Chicago has served children since 1926.

Along with cleft lip and palate repair, the Chicago hospital serves patients with orthopaedic needs. It is also one of three Shriners hospitals with a spinal cord injury rehabilitation program.

In all, there are 20 Shriners Hospitals for Children located across the United States, as well as two others located in Canada and Mexico.

Shriners Hospitals' total budget for 2007 is $721 million, of which $655 million is targeted for operating expenses including research and $66 million for buildings and equipment expenditures.

During the nearly 85-year history of Shriners Hospitals, more than $8.2 billion has been spent to operate the hospitals with more than $1.76 million spent on construction and renovation projects.

The hospitals are supported by the 191 Shrine Centers and 412,000 individual members of the Shriners of North America.

Nebraska has three Shrine Centers - Sesostris in Lincoln, Tangier in Omaha and Tehama in Hastings.

Proceeds from the annual Nebraska Shrine Bowl football game are one of the means the three Nebraska Centers use to support the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Sam Nelson, general chairman for the Shrine Bowl of Nebraska, said it's important for the players to learn about the Shriners mission and who they are really playing for Saturday night.

“Here, the players can see first-hand why they play the game,” Nelson said.

While it's one thing to view a movie or talk about the Shriners mission, Nelson said it means much more to the players when they can meet and interact with hospital patients.

Nelson has been directly involved in overseeing the Shrine Bowl for 12 years and he said each time he accompanies players to the hospital he sees on their faces the new understanding they have of why they are playing the game.

In its 49th year, the motto for the annual football game is “Strong legs run that weak legs may walk...”

That motto is something the players understand better after visiting the hospital, Nelson said.

Over the years, the Shrine Bowl has helped the Nebraska Shrine Centers raise more than $3 million, Nelson said.

Fifty percent of the funds raised by Nebraska Shriners go directly to the hospitals, Nelson said, while the other 50 percent goes to transporting local patients and their families to the facilities.

Sesostris in Lincoln, alone, operates four vans, at least two of which are on the road two to three times a week, transporting patients, according to Nelson.

“We'll put more than 100,000 miles on a van in a year's time,” Nelson said.

Shrine Bowl activities start 10 days before kickoff with the opening of the football camps. The South camp is at Doane College in Crete, while the North camp is at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.

There are many activities for players and their families during the week-plus as well as a pregame banquet and annual Shrine Bowl parade in Lincoln.

The hospital visit, however, is annually the highlight of the week for most players.

Among those making the trip with the South team Wednesday were players Nick Grummert of Beatrice and Jon Damkroger of Firth Norris, as well as Fairbury native and former Falls City football coach Matt Uher, who is serving as an assistant coach for the team.

“This was more than I expected,” Grummert said of the hospital visit. “This has been an eye-opening experience for us, getting to know these kids and getting to know what they're going through.”

All of the patients are out-going and open to everything, Grummert said.

“They're normal kids and they like to have a lot of fun, just like us,” Grummert said.

Damkroger said he didn't know what to expect from the trip, but added he learned a lot from the experience.

“This is a happy place,” Damkroger said. “Getting to know the kids is the best part about this. They're fun to be around.”

The most surprising thing about the hospital was it didn't seem like a hospital at all, Damkroger said.

“They try and make this enjoyable for the kids,” Damkroger said.

After making the trip to Chicago, Grummert said playing in the Shrine Bowl game will mean even more Saturday night.

“It's more than just a football game,” Grummert sad. “To be able to help these kids out means a lot.”

Damkroger said the South players now know they're playing for more than just to win a football contest.

“We'll be able to keep these kids in the back of our minds,” Damkroger said. “They're the purpose for the game.”

Uher said the hospital visit for good for players and coaches alike.

“The energy in this place is unbelievable,” Uher said. “These kids are looking for the positives in things and our kids took off on that.”

Watching the players interact with the patients was “amazing,” Uher said.