K.C. gets into the ‘Get Up’ spirit
By Troy Schwindt Members of the Kansas City com-
munity participated in U.S. Figure Skating’s Get Up campaign, and a select few individuals and organiza- tions were recognized in the kiss and cry during a break in the men’s short program on Jan. 20. Get Up Kansas City honorees in-
cluded Tricia Melland and the organi- zation Operation Breakthrough. Melland spent her early childhood
years skating at Pepsi Ice Midwest in Kansas City. “It’s a funny story as to how I start-
ed skating [she was 18 months old],” Melland said. “My older brother was there for a birthday party and I threw a tantrum because my mom would not let me get on the ice. Finally, she rented skates that were four sizes too big and let me go out there. She was afraid I would come off the ice crying, but I loved it and stayed out there. From then on, I’ve always had a love for skating.” While having fun on the ice, she
remembers the feeling of the breeze on her face, and how skating allowed her to forget about everything else. “It inspired me a lot,” Melland said. Melland’s life, though, started
to change dramatically when she was 7 years old and became ill. At first, doctors had no answers for her condition. Eventually, she was diag- nosed with intestinal failure, anemia of chronic disease, myopathic pseu- do obstruction, adrenal insufficiency and a life-threatening chronic illness known as mitochondrial dysfunction. “Doctors claim there is no cure
for what I have, but I like to believe that there is no cure yet,” she said. “I
believe there is a cure waiting to be discovered any day and I hope to be part of finding that solution.” With her condition, Melland can’t
eat solid food. Her fluid and nutrition are delivered intravenously through a central line that goes to her heart. She has a service dog named Kenny, who detects her low blood sugar. Despite this challenging progno-
sis, Melland is able to live a productive and meaningful life. She graduated last year from St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, and is enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where she’s studying to become a biochemistry major. She’s also a member of the Chi Omega sorority. “I am grateful for my figure skating
background and training,” she said. “I learned at an early age how to get up and keep going whenever I would fall down. I know this lesson has contribut- ed to my resiliency and success in life.”
One of the great success sto-
ries in Kansas City is that of Opera- tion Breakthrough. This organization, started by two nuns in 1971, serves more than 400 needy children daily in its early learning and after-school programs, and provides education, health care and social services to low-income Kansas City families. “My CEO [Mary Esselman] says
that this is the most important work one will ever do,” said Tyler Baker, who runs the organization’s elemen- tary program. “What we do in Oper- ation Breakthrough is we focus on a two-generation model, so we help mom and dad as well as the kids, be- cause you can’t have a successful kid without a successful mom or dad. So
Tyler Baker of Operation Breakthrough and college student Tricia Melland are con- gratulated by Kansas City Mayor Sylves- ter “Sly” James Jr. and Olympic champion Scott Hamilton for their inspirational “Get Up” stories.
through family advocacy, social work and through little things like diapers all the way to big things like getting a job, housing, getting a GED for mom, that’s how we impact our friends, neighbors and, more importantly, the kids of Kansas City.” There are countless success sto-
ries, Baker said, of graduates of Op- eration Breakthrough who return to volunteer and help the cause. “When my 13-year-olds graduate
from me, they become volunteers,” Baker said. “So I have a child from 3 months all the way to 13, and they don’t just say ‘Thanks a lot,’ and walk away. They come back and give their time and volunteer with us.” Operation Breakthrough helps
children and their families get up and keep going in the face of adversity. “Our children and families often
fall because of circumstances beyond their control,” Esselman said. “Our job is to offer that hand up that says, ‘Come on. You can do it! Get back out there.’ And they do.”
SKATING 67
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92