There’s a Huge Charity Pickleball Tournament Coming to Owensboro, KY

The pickleball community here in Owensboro-Daviess County and surrounding areas will get together later this month and rally their talents around a young man who needs their support and help. They're going to take to the courts at York Park on Owensboro's west side and show a bunch of a heart for a guy who recently received a new one- for the second time in his life. That guy is 35-year-old Jesse Fulkerson.

Here's Jesse's story!

He was born on May 22nd, 1989 and, quickly, was diagnosed with two possibly life-threatening heart issues. He was flown to Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville where his doctors discovered that he had Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Basically, the left side of Jesse's heart was underdeveloped and could not pump blood to the rest of his body. That was causing massive amounts of stress on the right side of the heart. So, doctors decided that he needed an urgent heart transplant. When he was just five days old, he received that transplant and became just the 11th heart transplant recipient at Norton's.

That transplant surgery was far from being Jesse's only obstacle. Shortly after it, he suffered a seizure, which caused oxygen deprivation in his brain for a sustained period of time. His vocal folds were paralyzed. There were many complications- so many in fact that his doctors didn't expect Jesse to live beyond the age of two. But here he is today- standing tall at 35!  He's a true testament to the human will to survive.

However, he continues to have complications. Jesse was recently suffering from severe shoulder pains that led doctors to discover blockages in his heart. In 2021, he received a pacemaker and defibrillator. Over the last three and a half years, he's had eight separate stents placed to try to help his heart function normally. Sadly, it wasn't.

Consequently, Jesse found himself at a familiar crossroads due to those latest hurdles- coronary artery disease and chronic rejection of his heart. For the second time in his life, he needed and received a heart transplant. He's now in the recovery and rehabilitation phase and his family is routinely updating his supporters via social media.

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Now his troops are rallying in Jesse's honor. They're doing it in a way that celebrates the power and importance of transplants. They're raising money for COTA.

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. So, Jesse's friends and family are hosting a pickleball tournament to raise money for COTA.

Jesse's family asks, "Who would like to come show off their pickleball skills on August 24, 2024 in a tournament to raise funds for COTA in honor of Jesse's Journey!?"  If you enjoy the sport (the fastest-growing sport in the United States), Jesse's family asks that you please consider forming a team or supporting from the stands.

If you'd like to stay up-to-date with Jesse's journey, you can follow along on the COTA for Jesse's Journey page. Plus, if you'd like to play in Jesse's pickleball tournament, you can sign up your team by CLICKING HERE!  The entry fee is just $50 for a team of 2 and, as you can tell by Jesse's story, that donation is worth every penny and heartbeat.