(-- The Beacon)
By Bruce Garlinghouse Staff Writer garlingh13@up.edu
On Nov. 8, the men and women's basketball teams will face their toughest opponent yet: the Oregon Disability Sports Basketball Team.
Players from both the men's and women's basketball teams will create a coed wheelchair basketball team. One group will play the first half, and the other the second.
Called Sam Jam for junior Sam Bridgman, the game will raise money to fight Friedrich's Ataxia, a degenerative neuromuscular disease that affects nearly 1 in every 50,000 people and has restricted Bridgman to a wheelchair since last year.
Bridgman, who has participated in several bike rides aimed to raise awareness of F.A., said this event is particularly special to him.
"It is really cool that I have the kind of friends and community that want to help me and do something that can help me and find a cure for F.A.," Bridgman said.
F.A. occurs slowly over time, and Sam was not diagnosed until his freshman year of high school when he was cut from the baseball team and his peers began to notice a change in his walk.
"People started telling me I looked like I was drunk because I would start to sway. I didn't even notice it at the time," Bridgman said.
It also affects his speech. He slurs and sentences are drawn out, another symptom of the disease that resembles intoxication.
"If I get pulled over, officers immediately think I am drunk," Bridgman said with a laugh.
Bridgman, who now operates a car with a hand brake and accelerator, was able to operate a standard motor vehicle until F.A. caused an accident when he thought he had pressed the brake, but his leg didn't respond.
His condition will get worse. Heart complications as well as diabetes are common in later stages and muscle problems can lead to change in the spine, which may result in scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis.
Sam Jam's inceptor, junior outfielder Sam Westendorf, said he wanted to give back to someone that has given him and everyone else who has met Sam a fresh outlook on life.
"You never see him down and he's always in a good mood," Westendorf said. "You look at him and realize we may think we have it hard, but he still sees joy in life."
The idea came from Westendorf's sister, who worked with Oregon Disability Sports in the past. Westendorf said he had always been interested in service and he felt helping Bridgman was the right opportunity.
The game will be played in the Chiles Center and consist of two 20-minute halves with a running clock. Entrance to the game is free, but Westendorf will be asking for donations and selling T-shirts. Bridgman will also be playing and will give a halftime speech as well.
In addition, Westendorf said they have contacted multiple businesses to sponsor and donate to the event. Bridgman has set up a website with instructions on how to donate and hopes to raise at least $3,000.
All the money raised will be donated to the Friedrich's Ataxia Research Alliance, or F.A.R.A., a nonprofit organization dedicated to curing F.A. through research, according to its website.
Bridgman debated whether to donate the money to helping others purchase equipment such as wheelchairs, but ultimately decided F.A.R.A. was the right choice.
"A cure is the main goal," he said.
Treatment consists of counseling and speech and physical therapy.
He added that he looks forward to seeing the campus come together for a good cause.
"It gets students involved in service as well as gives awareness to a disease that is not well known," Bridgman said.
Little is known about F.A. The gene that causes the disease was discovered only a little more than a decade ago.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher and Bridgman's roommate last year, J.R. Bunda said he looks forward to more people knowing and understanding who Sam is and what he goes through.
"A lot of people know who Sam is, but they don't know what he is going through and what he has been through," Bunda said. "Sam is our team. He loves baseball and he makes us see that we should be thankful that we get to play the game."
Saddling up in a wheelchair will be no easy feat for the men's and women's basketball teams and Westendorf said it will be a good experience for them.
"They won't get to use their natural athletic abilities. It will be a humbling experience and should be interesting," he said.
Sam Jam Fast Facts
- What: Coed wheelchair basketball game
- When: Nov. 8 at 8pm
- Why: To raise money for Friedrich's Ataxia cure research
- What is F.A.?: Friedrich's Ataxia (F.A.) is a hereditary degenerative neuromuscular disease that attacks the nervous system.
- How can you help: Attend Sam Jam and make a donation
