| 9-year-old Brylee and her sister Avri (far right) got plenty of face time with the stars this week as Brylee was one of the honorary tee announcers at the Senior LPGA Championship. Brylee has dealt with nine congenital heart defects thanks to the care she has received at Riley Hospital for Children, the tournament's benefactor. |
Our first golfer is
Liselotte Neumann; Finspang, Sweden.
The name is a bit of a mouthful for anyone, especially a
9-year-old like Brylee. But Brylee has brushed up on some of these
pronunciations as one of the honorary first tee announcers for the Senior LPGA
Championship wrapping up today at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick. Several
dozen spectators and some of the world’s best female golfers surround Brylee as
she approaches the microphone to announce each player.
All eyes on her. A collective hush. So, Brylee, nervous or
excited about this new speaking gig?
“I was excited,” she says earnestly and with no hesitation. “I’m
used to it.”
After all, Brylee has spoken and shared her story at some of
Riley Hospital for Children’s dance marathons. And, she’s come through far tougher
moments.
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| Brylee collected from a bunch of the LPGA's stars before they teed off. |
Brylee has nine congenital heart defects that have required
two open-heart surgeries. She was born with her heart on the opposite side of
her chest from where it should be. Structurally, she has half of a heart. But
spiritually, Brylee is all heart — and it made her one of the stars of the show
alongside the leading ladies of the LPGA at this week’s tournament.
Riley Hospital is once again beneficiary of the Senior LPGA
Championship, and through the partnership, some of the Riley families are on
hand this week to provide living, breathing proof of some of the success
stories of Riley’s care. How’s this for another extraordinary example? Genevieve
Sater was also one of the first tee announcers Wednesday, and at age 91, she’s
one of the oldest living Riley patients today.
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| Genevieve Sater is one of the oldest living Riley patients at age 91, and she was also on hand Wednesday as an honorary tee announcer for the final round. |
Just like Genevieve enjoyed a productive life thanks to
Riley, Brylee’s accomplishing the same. She’s gotten involved in dance,
gymnastics and ballet. She’s also done pageants, including one where she won “Miss
Awareness” for raising the most money for Riley.
“If it weren’t for Riley, we wouldn’t be here,” says Brylee’s
mother, Mandy Ramey. “It definitely gave her a fighting chance for life.”
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| Brylee helped sing "Happy Birthday" to Vicki Goetze-Ackerman (above) and received an ovation from Hall of Famer Laura Davies (below) for the cheer she made up for Davies' playing group. |
Brylee is also part of an all-star cheer team, a background
that came in handy when Hall of Famer Juli Inkster and Liselotte Neumann asked
her for a favor on Tuesday. “They asked me if I could make a cheer up for them.
And I did it,” Brylee says, giggling.
Again on Wednesday, Brylee and her younger sister Avri
drafted a cheer for the tournament leaders right before they teed off:
Hit it high; hit it
low; hit it where you want to go!
Hall of Fame golfer Laura Davies set down her club to give
Brylee an ovation. Earlier, former Indiana Hoosier golfer Michele Redman
slipped Brylee and her sister some autographed golf balls. Neumann even tweeted
on a chilly and blustery Monday to open the tournament, “Hopefully it’s not too
cold for the @RileyKids to come out to watch today! We love them!”
A bit of a role swap for the athlete to admire the kid, but
that’s the beauty of what happens when the Riley Kids and the LPGA’s legends cross
paths.
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| Michele Redman and the rest of the field enjoyed nothing but blue skies and sunshine for Wednesday's final round after overcast and chillier weather the first two days of the tournament. |