Kidney recipient wins San Diego's National Kidney Foundation Cadillac Golf Classic

(Poway, California) Once every scorecard was signed, the strokes counted and the final tally double-checked, it was Brandon Gandy's magical 75-yard chip for eagle on the 16^th hole at Stone Ridge Country Club that vaulted the kidney recipient's foursome into first place at the 2012 National Kidney Foundation Cadillac Golf Classic Tournament. Part of the largest amateur charity golf event in the world, Monday's win qualifies Brandon to compete at Pebble Beach for the national championship in January.  As if ripped from a Hollywood movie script, Brandon will be playing with one of his mother’s kidneys as she cheers him on from the gallery. 

The poignancy wasn’t lost on his mom, Linda Gandy.  “It isn’t just that my son won.  It’s that a kidney transplant recipient won the whole enchilada,” she effused.  “That’s what it’s all about.  Not just surviving – living!”  Event spokesperson and Voice of the Chargers, Hank Bauer, echoed the celebrity players’ sentiments, “We all love Linda and her family.  We’re so proud of Brandon and how far he’s come.  This family is full of wonderful surprises but today is about as special as it gets.” 

Sponsored by North County Cadillac, the annual event looked more like a Chargers family reunion than a golf tournament.  San Diego sports legends Chuck Muncie, Doug Wilkerson, Ed White, Leslie O’Neal and Padres Hall of Famer and Cy Young winner Randy Jones joined Bauer in donating their time, and demonstrating their handicaps, with San Diego locals who donated to the Foundation for their chance to play in a celebrity foursome, raise awareness of the NKF and win the tournament.   

But at the end of the day, it was Brandon Gandy who stole the show.  While the event itself took in more than $60,000 for the National Kidney Foundation of San Diego, his victory illuminated more clearly than all the Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame atheletes playing combined why kidney donation is so important  “We can end the list,” Gandy confidently implored the post-play dinner audience. Because of the lack of available donors, more than 4,000 kidney patients a year die while waiting for life-saving organ transplant.  “Patients are dieing needlessly.  My mom and I are proof. So, I’ll play to win at the national tournament so that, together, we end the list.”  All of a sudden, Gandy’s 75-yard chip for eagle seemed less magical and more inevitable.      

About the National Kidney Foundation

The National Kidney Foundation is dedicated to the prevention of kidney disease, improving the health and well-being of patients and families affected by this disease and promoting organ donation.

Today, more than thousands in California alone are awaiting life-saving kidney transplants and many more rely on a dialysis machine to keep them alive.

For more information about kidney disease or the NKF Cadillac Golf Classic Tournament series visit nkfgolfclassic.org

CREDITS

Photos by Ivan S. Harris, A-List Productions