The Bob Emig Award for supporter of youth sports honoree is Carter Rethwisch, better known as the “Cardinal Cowboy.” Rethwisch of St. Charles, Mo., has devoted his life to helping many youth and other charitable organizations through fundraising efforts and sharing his enthusiasm and positive outlook on life. His motto: Dream…then chase your dream.
His experience of surviving a tragic car accident at the age of 19 was his inspiration. When he was given a 50/50 chance of survival, his father would not hear of it and instilled in Carter a belief that he could return to the life he enjoyed before the accident. He inspired Carter to rid himself of negative thoughts of doubt, failure or mediocrity. After a long five years of recovery, Carter had to let go of just one dream—to be a professional baseball player.
His turned his tragic experience into a life of sharing with others his excitement for life, beating the odds and fulfilling your dreams—messages especially important to youth. You can read more about the “Cardinal Cowboy” at www.cardinalcowboy.com.
The Bob Emig Award for Supporter of Youth Sports Honoree was Jackie Joyner-Kersee as its supporter of youth sports honoree in 2014.
– See more at: http://advantagenews.com/sports/bob-emig-foundation-honors-leaders-in-youth-sports/#sthash.cul9lgsF.dpuf
The Cardinal Cowboy Speech:
Bob Emig Speech Notes – Cardinal Cowboy – Oct 1, 2015
Click here to listen to the pre-recorded audio
First I must start off with saying thanks to Mom, Dad, sister, friends, Dr Kris McClusky who I guessed correctly nominated me for this award, and remember my good friend Jay Davis.
Many people jokingly say that I am like Superman… Hey, I cannot disagree… After all, I do change into my super suit and I am off to a charity event, or to visits some kids playing ball or at a hospital and most of you likely know me from the Cardinals Games.
At times I do truly feel a certain sense of having a “super power”… Although, it may not be what you think… You see, on Sept 27, 1991
Some 8771 days or 24 years, 5 days ago… I was granted my superpower… You see, it was on that day I would be pushed to my utter limits…
It’s true… they had actually told my parents that I had less than 50/50 odds to survive.
Some would say it was with good reason that these experts, these doctors, had little faith in me…
This was because some 6 days before, my good friend, Jimmie Barnes had died…
And I was knocked into a coma by a drunk driver…
The doctors told my parents I was not likely to survive… My parents said, “Well, you don’t know our son…”
I was 6 days into my coma when the doctors received an alert that called them for an emergency to get to my room… something was wrong… STAT, STAT, IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO ROOM 384
My parents were alerted, the doctors and nurses arrived… I had gotten my arms free from the restraints… and I had pulled the ventilator that was providing my oxygen out of my own throat…
The doctors proclaimed… “We think he’s gonna make it.”
You see, playing baseball gave me this incredible drive, incredible ambition, incredible desire to win and survive another game… another inning another out… until my team won…
To be pushed well beyond what most people ever get close to being challenged to overcome.
FACT: 90% of brain injured patients who are vegetative (in a coma) for one month or longer will Fail To Improve to a state better than severe disability. Glad I didn’t read this until last night.
Two thirds of patients who were unconscious for two weeks or less may make a moderate to good recovery.
I say, what are the odds of making a 100% complete recovery? Well, I would say they is at least 1.
I didn’t know the odds… I knew only one thing… and that was to win… to be the best and to prove all of the naysayers 100% wrong…
Some 12 years ago, I began to realize I owed it to the rest of the world to share the capabilities I had learned that I had… the ability to overcome absolutely anything… anything…
So one day I thought, you know, I was supposed to be a pro baseball player… I have a red St Louis Cardinals cowboy hat, a Cardinals Jersey and some white baseball pants…
Now some 12 years later I have never stopped trying to share my superpower with anyone who would care to see what this superpower was capable of… and I am just getting started…
Sure, I was voted MLB’s Favorite Fan, named as 1 of 21 Super Fans by Bleacher Report… been interviewed by or on ESPN, MLB, KMOX, Fox Sports, Channels 2, 4, 5, 11, 30… Jimmy Kimmel Show.. all neat accomplishments… Did I mention KMOX? And Jimmy Kimmel?
But seriously, most exciting has been the experiences working with my buddy Seth Lang who finally earned his wings after proving for 4 years he could beat cancer.
And most recently my buddy Harry, who I am working with who suffered a coma that was as bad as mine who for 7 years has been “stuck in a funk” but in our last 3 weeks working together has now written and recorded 6 songs we will get in front of one multi-platinum rap record producer from St. Louis that many of us know..
You see, here’s the deal… this superpower is not unique to me… every single one of us also has this superpower… most people simply have not been so fortunate to have been pushed to the brink of death and asked to grasp this power… for that I say I have been so blessed…
So now it is my mission to help everyone I possibly can to realize that they do not need to experience a coma to tap this superpower… this superpower is available to anyone who wants to to use it… many of you know this well… many more need our help to discover and use it.
And I believe 100% that it was sports that provided for this superpower to be developed in me… and this is why I am so honored and humbled to receive this award and to be so proudly introduced to and work with such an incredible foundation that I believe truly has a unique ability to inspire and change the lives of so many people.
This foundation is founded in the belief that sports for our youth is essential… of course I am speaking of the Bob Emig Foundation…
So raise your glasses, and please look down on the table, grab your Cardinal Cowboy Card and take the Cardinal Cowboy pledge with me… as it is printed in bold print at the top of the card… Repeat after me… we will do a slight variation…
I promise… to not only Dream… but endlessly pursue and chase my dreams… and to further help other people realize their ability to chase theirs… with their own God given superpower.
Remember… it is not the error in life that kills you… it is how you respond to that error…
My favorite quote from my dad… If you think you can, or if you think you can’t… YOU ARE RIGHT…
And finally, in the words of recently passed legend, Lawrence “Yogi” Berra… If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up somewhere else…
Focus on what you want, help as many people as you can along the way… and Never Ever Stop!
Thank you… Carter Rethwisch – Cardinal Cowboy
Stats from: http://www.braininjury.com/coma.shtml
