Matthew Wilson
A young New York golfer is givinng back to the hospital that helped save his life when he was just an infant. Now in high school, he’s raised more than $700,000 for the hospital
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“They saved me, so it’s my duty to return the favor,” 17-year-old golfer Skylar Friedman told The New York Post. He started a nationwide putting contest to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The Intiative: Friedman owes his entire life to the hospital. At just five months, Friedman underwent a lung operation at the hospital saving his life. Now, a young adult, Friedman has created a “100 Putt Challenge.” It challenges golfers to raise money.
- People pledge money to the number of 6-foot putts they sink out of a 100 attempts. It’s something you could do in your backyard if you wanted.
- “People don’t realize how much it adds up,” the golfer explained. “If somebody pledges two dollars a putt and hits 80 of them, that’s $160 easily made.”
- Within the past 7 years, he raised more than $700,000 for the hospital.
Hospital Saved Golfer’s Life
Before he was born, doctors identified a mass on his lung that posed the risk of a heart attack. They referred him to Philadelphia where surgeons removed part of his bottom right lung.
“It was a very rare condition that I had. So it was probably the first time they had ever seen it,” he said. Friedman still visits the hospital twice a year to treat his asthma.
“Every time I’ve gone there, I’ve just been struck with how overly kind and caring the doctors and all staff are,” said Friedman.
But he wanted to do more. So seven years ago he recruited his long-time golf trainer, Adam Laird, to use their shared passion for the game to make a difference.
“Now we have people in about a dozen states doing it … and about 1,000 individual donors this year,” said Friedman. “Giving back, it feels like my purpose. If I can reach one person with my story, then it is all worth it.”
