Published: March 15, 2008 10:17 pm            

Locals keep ailing in mind

All season they hooped it up for their schools, their team’s fortunes, themselves.

But on Saturday night at Christian Heritage School, senior basketball players from the area suited up for kids like 7-year-old Anthony, a Whitfield County resident suffering from liver failure who wants to experience Disney World. And 4-year-old Brianna of Bartow County, another child with a catastrophic illness who would like a play set. And 17-year-old Perez, who wants only to hang out with the Los Angeles Lakers for a few hours. Last names of the youngsters are not made public, according to Make-A-Wish guidelines.

For more than a decade, locals have been in the business of helping make such magic happen, and they were at it again during the 11th annual Make-A-Wish All-Star Games.

Organizer and Kinsey Road Baptist Church pastor Ron McKinney estimates the games have raised more than $50,000 over that span, and a full gymnasium with participants and spectators representing every team color in Northwest Georgia signaled that this edition would put needed smiles on the faces of seriously ill children around Georgia and the rest of the United States.

It was a no-brainer for Southeast senior Alain Morales, who said he appreciated the chance to play with the best in the region on top of the worthy cause.

“We all love to play basketball,” he said. “There’s no point not coming out for something like this, especially when we can raise money for kids. I think it’s great.”

McKinney and his helpers rolled out the red carpet for each participant. Longtime Murray County public address announcer Dr. David Witherow, part of the event since its inception, introduced each of the more than 50 players in his inimitable baritone voice. The players were handed a participation trophy and posed for a photograph with Heidi McKinney Ingle, who started the Make-A-Wish Games in Dalton when she was a student at Southeast in 1997.

“You don’t know what it means to me to see people coming together like this,” Ingle said from center court before the prayer and national anthem. “It’s a great thing for people to forget about suffering and pain.”

Ingle is a two-time cancer survivor. She battled leukemia the first time when she was diagnosed in high school, and warded off the disease. One of her warmest memories of the time was the trip she was able to make to Hawaii thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“And God was pleased to give her remission for 11 years,” the elder McKinney said, his voice shaking.

But after Heidi married Jeff Ingle on April 27 of last year, she began to experience searing pain in her hip at a July reception for the newlyweds. The McKinneys’ worst fears were confirmed when doctors told them Heidi had relapsed.

Hope McKinney, Heidi’s younger sister, volunteered to be the donor for a bone marrow transplant. The procedure was done on Oct. 26 and Heidi, her hair growing back, looked to be moving about the gym on Saturday no worse for wear.

“We’ve always wanted to do something to give back,” Heidi said.

Christian Heritage’s Savana Southerland paid special tribute to Heidi, wearing a pink T-shirt with Heidi’s name on the back of it instead of the Lady Lions’ traditional game jersey.

Dalton’s girls — one of the largest contingents with five seniors in uniform — did something different. Lindsey Bramlett, Liz Coffey and Hannah Mayo wore face paint, acquired earlier in the day at the Westwood Roundup, to commemorate the last time they would play together as high school players on the same floor.

In the girls action to open the night, the North All-Stars beat the South, 60-43, behind 16 points from Mayo, who earned Most Valuable Player honors. Northwest Whitfield’s Bethany McArthur scored 13, Coffey had 12 and Southerland pitched in 10. Southeast’s Heather Payne led the South with 20 points.

In the boys’ game, the North outgunned the South, 108-81, bolstered by 17 points apiece from Northwest’s Blake Gash, Kareen Hawkins and Sammy McDaniel. Gash, in his final appearance in blue and orange, earned MVP honors. Murray County’s Will Powell topped the South with 28 points.

Calhoun’s Tim Fortenberry won the Slam Dunk competition, while Morales beat Fortenberry in the 3-point contest. In the girls’ 3-point contest, it was McArthur edging out Southerland for the prize.

        

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