An Unlikely Sport Spanning Countries

BRINGING THE LOVE OF ON-COURT COMPETITION HALFWAY ACROSS THE GLOBE. A PICKLEBALL PRO WHO COMPETED IN THE RECENT U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NAPLES PICKED UP THE GAME WHEN HE WAS HEALING FROM CANCER AS WGCU CARY BARBER LEARNED HIS LOVE FOR THE GAME RUN SO DEEP THAT HE IS SHARING IT ALL THE WAY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. >> IT'S A SUNNY, WINDY SUNDAY AT THE U.S. OPEN PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NAPLES. THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE TOURNAMENT IS COLLEGIAL FRIENDS WHO'VE MET THROUGH THE SPORT GREET ONE ANOTHER ENTHUSIASTICALLY MARC PALM IS PLAYING WITH HIS DOUBLES PARTNER. HIS 22 YEAR-OLD SON, DRAKE. THEY'RE IN THE SPLIT PRO CATEGORY, MEANING BOTH ARE PICKLEBALL PROS, BUT ONE IS OVER 51 IS UNDER 50. BOTH MEN ARE FIT MOVING NIMBLY AROUND THE COURT, SLAMMING OR TAPPING THE LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTIC BALL OVER THE NET. THEY'RE WEARING THE FAMILY UNIFORM, BLACK SHORTS AND BLACK T-SHIRTS. MARK PALM, NOW, 51 DISCOVERED PICKLEBALL IN 2019. HE WAS ON THE ROAD RAISING MONEY FOR HIS NONPROFIT WHEN THE PEOPLE HE WAS MEETING WITH GOT HIM INTO THEIR PICKLE BALL GAME. HE LOVED IT. HE KEPT AFTER THE GAME EVEN WHEN HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH B-CELL LYMPHOMA, A TYPE OF BLOOD CANCER. PICKLEBALL BECAME A PART OF HIS RECOVERY PROCESS, HELPING HIM THROUGH EACH OF 6 ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY. >> AND THEN ABOUT DAY 3, SLOWLY START GETTING INTO BACK. AND SO I WOULD GET UP AND I WOULD GET OUT TO THE TO THE PARK AND I WOULD GO ON THE CHALLENGER SIDE BECAUSE I HAD NO VERY LITTLE ENERGY. AND I WOULD JUST STUMBLE AROUND. BUT I'LL GET ONE GAME IN AND IT WAS JUST THAT SOCIAL, SOMETHING. IT WAS JUST KIND OF THIS MENTAL HEALTH BOOST FOR ME AND THEN EVERY DAY I WOULD GET A LITTLE STRONGER THAN THE NEXT GUY CAN PLAY, YOU KNOW, 3 GAMES. AND THEN BY THE TIME I GO BACK TO CHEMO, ANOTHER CAME AROUND. I COULD PLAY 7 GAMES. SO EVERY TIME I GOT TO GO BACK TO THE COURT WAS A REALLY BIG DEAL. AND MY DOCTOR AND SAID, LOOK, LIVE YOUR LIFE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN BECAUSE THE MENTAL SIDE OF RECOVERING FROM CANCER DEALING WITH WITH THE SIDE EFFECTS OF CANCER AND ALL THE UNKNOWNS. IT'S SUCH A BIG PART OF RECOVERY. SO PICKLEBALL FOR ME BECAME THAT. >> 7 YEARS LATER, PAUL IS 6 YEARS FREE OF CANCER AND COMPETING AS A PRO. WHEN HE'S NOT ON THE PICKLEBALL COURT. PALM IS RUNNING SAMARITAN AVIATION, THE NONPROFIT HE AND HIS WIFE KIRSTEN, STARTED IN 2000. IT PROVIDES EMERGENCY MEDICAL FLIGHTS AND MEDICAL CARE AT NO COST TO THE RESIDENTS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA, 80% OF WHOM LIVE IN RURAL AREAS WITHOUT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE OR A HOSPITAL. >> FOR DAVY ATION DOES 7 DAYS A WEEK RESPONSE TO MEDICAL EVACUATION FLIGHTS? WE DROP MEDICINES, MEDICAL SUPPLIES INTO REMOTE VILLAGES, TAKE DOCTORS AND REMOTE AREAS AND I REALLY DOES SAVE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY HAVE NO HOPE IF WE'RE NOT THERE. >> NATURALLY, IN ADDITION TO EMERGENCY HEALTHCARE, THE PALM FAMILY BROUGHT PICKLEBALL TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA. >> AND SO THEY'RE OUR SPONSORS. PEOPLE DONATED PADDLES AND WE GOT NETS AND AND THERE'S THIS ONE COMMUNITY THAT'S 50 MILES FROM THE NEAREST ROAD. IT'S A SWAMP OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND THERE'S A HELICOPTER PAD THERE. AND SO I'M LIKE WE SHOULD BRING PICKLEBALL. THERE'S A SCHOOL THERE. THE BOARDING SCHOOL FOR KIDS. AND SO WE BROUGHT PICKLEBALL. WE TAUGHT HIM HOW TO PLAY ABOUT THE NETS IN THE PADDLES AND IT'S BEEN SO FUN TO SEE IN A COUNTRY THAT REALLY WOMEN ARE KIND OF SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS IN A LOT OF WAYS TO SEE THE GIRLS PLAYING WITH THE GUYS AND TO SEE ACTUALLY THE GIRLS BEATING THE GUYS. IT'S JUST AWESOME. >> THE NONPROFIT HAS 30 STAFF AND 3 PLANES OPERATING ON THE ISLAND AND THE PALM SPEND PART OF EVERY YEAR. THERE. SAYS THE ENTIRE OPERATION IS FUNDED 80% BY DONATIONS AND 20% BY THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA GOVERNMENT. TOM AND HIS SON LOST THEIR PICKLEBALL MATCH ON SUNDAY IN NAPLES. HE SHRUGS IT OFF. THERE'S ANOTHER MATCH LATER IN THE WEEK AND OTHER IMPORTANT PROJECTS TO GET TO. FOR WGCU NEWS. I'M KERRY BARBER.