One moment. It can change your life. For Kristi Cardwell, two moments shape her this week.
The Kokomo, Indiana native played a practice round on Wednesday morning at Longbow Golf Club. Nothing out of the ordinary for the former Iowa golfer trying to get ready for the 2015 Epson Tour season.
Before she fired her first tee shot she had a fellow professional snap a picture. She was wearing a #JoshStrong number 32 t-shirt and wanted her friends and family to know who she was playing for this week.
The Cardwell’s are longtime family friends with Josh Speidel and his family. On Super Bowl Sunday, the high school basketball star was involved in a very serious two-car accident that has him in critical but stable condition. He is currently breathing on his own and with the help of a ventilator in a neurology-critical care unit.
“His family is so strong, so strong to go through this and to remain positive,” Cardwell said on the driving range in Mesa, Arizona. “They know that this is going to be a long recovery process, but they are up for it and so is he. I think that Josh is just a good fighter and he is not going to give up on this fight.”
The accident and its aftermath have put this week into perspective for Cardwell.
“People have it worse than us,” said the second year professional. “In golf, we sometimes have the mentality that I played bad so now my life is over, but you just have to put things into perspective and know there could be worse things out there as I experienced a pretty bad car accident myself.”
On October 29, 2013, Cardwell was driving her mom’s grand prix on a country road and collided at 55 miles-an-hour with another car that ran a stop sign. Boom. She was entrapped and first responders had to use the “jaws of life” to get her out. She was rushed to the hospital.
Fortunately, her injuries were not life threatening and she was released from the hospital around 5pm the very same day. Over a year later, Cardwell still deals with effects of the accident. She has disc protrusion in her neck and back pain.
“I couldn’t play golf for about three months so I had a lot of therapy to do,” said Cardwell. “I couldn’t lift over two pounds so I did a lot of sitting and therapy and just waiting it out until I had enough energy and muscle strength to go back out and swing it again.”
Cardwell knows the recovery process is going to be even longer for Josh and understands what his parents are going through.
“I know what the Speidel family is going through because my accident hit my mom and dad harder than it hit me,” said Cardwell. “The parents are in the hospital every single day with Josh holding his hand and praying for him and they have all this support and it is just unreal.”
The Speidel family has set up a gofundme page where family, friends and those touched by his story can donate money to assist the family with all the medical costs associated with the accident. Over $56,000 has been raised in a short time. Dan Dakich, former basketball player at Indiana and now ESPN commentator, has helped to spread the word about Josh and his story.
The Indiana Pacers also made a video where players, including stars Paul George and Roy Hibbert, recorded video messages for Josh.
“He (Josh) is a really good kid and a really good ball player and from the outpouring of support from friends and family, it is clear how much people love Josh,” said Cardwell. “We are praying for a speedy recovery.”
Two moments have certainly shaped Cardwell’s life and her mindset on the golf course.
To learn more about Josh’s story visit http://www.gofundme.com/l8xyqw.
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