From his first tee ball game at the age of 4, Spencer Patterson loved playing sports. He and his younger brother Ben played baseball, football, rode bikes and stayed outside throwing the ball around every night until the sun went down.
Spencer’s best sport was baseball, so he started playing on a competitive youth team where he excelled for several years. But at the age of 12, something changed for Spencer.
“He simply stopped growing,” explained his mother Lynda Patterson. “ Over the course of the next two years, he went from the 98th percentile for both weight and height to under 50%. Our doctors tried everything from HGH shots to hormones, but he simply never got bigger, stronger or healthier.”
While it was possible that Spencer was simply an
extremely “late bloomer”, what didn’t add up was that was also losing his ability to play baseball. He was having hip and leg pain to the point that he could no longer even run to first base. To top it all off, Spencer’s physical pain began to take a toll on his mental mindset – he was becoming withdrawn, depressed and sleeping all the time.
Prior to Spencer’s freshman year of high school, Spencer’s father was transferred for work and the family returned to Edwardsville, Illinois, which was where both Spencer and his brother Ben had been born. They didn’t realize it at the time, but this was just the stroke of luck that the family needed.
Shortly after their return to Edwardsville, Spencer suffered a gastrointestinal episode during which he lost 20 pounds over 3-4 weeks. At that point, Lynda decided to reconnect with Spencer’s childhood pediatrician, Dr. Jamil Rana.
Dr. Rana’s exam and blood tests suggested that Spencer may have Crohn’s Disease. The physician immediately referred Spencer to Dr. Jeffrey Teckman at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital for further testing and a colonoscopy.
The colonoscopy confirmed that Spencer had severe Crohn’s disease and he was immediately admitted to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital to begin treatment. Thanks to his regimen of medications, Spencer quickly began to improve. The mobility in his legs began to return within hours and he gained back those 20 pounds after only the first few weeks of treatment. After one year of treatment, he had grown 7 inches!
As Spencer began to regain his health, he realized that a return to baseball was simply not in the cards. He had stopped playing for so long that the game had passed him by. But during all those years of suffering, he had been chipping and putting golf balls because he found it therapeutic.
So Spencer began diligently working on his golf game. As he grew bigger and stronger, he realized that walking 18 holes while carrying a loaded golf bag was no longer a problem. Spencer went on to play high school golf and qualified for the Illinois State Championship. After his senior season, he was offered a college golf scholarship to McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois where he is currently an incoming sophomore on the team.
Lynda concluded, “This diagnosis affected our entire family – grandparents, parents, and especially his brother Ben. Ben was terrified and ‘lost in the shuffle’ for a long time, but golf has done nothing but bring the boys closer. There is nothing like seeing your sons spending the day together playing golf because they love the sport and love playing together. We are stronger as a family and all love to golf together! We are eternally grateful to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and especially to Dr. Teckman and Dr. Rana.”
Spencer’s best sport was baseball, so he started playing on a competitive youth team where he excelled for several years. But at the age of 12, something changed for Spencer.
“He simply stopped growing,” explained his mother Lynda Patterson. “ Over the course of the next two years, he went from the 98th percentile for both weight and height to under 50%. Our doctors tried everything from HGH shots to hormones, but he simply never got bigger, stronger or healthier.”
While it was possible that Spencer was simply an
extremely “late bloomer”, what didn’t add up was that was also losing his ability to play baseball. He was having hip and leg pain to the point that he could no longer even run to first base. To top it all off, Spencer’s physical pain began to take a toll on his mental mindset – he was becoming withdrawn, depressed and sleeping all the time.Prior to Spencer’s freshman year of high school, Spencer’s father was transferred for work and the family returned to Edwardsville, Illinois, which was where both Spencer and his brother Ben had been born. They didn’t realize it at the time, but this was just the stroke of luck that the family needed.
Shortly after their return to Edwardsville, Spencer suffered a gastrointestinal episode during which he lost 20 pounds over 3-4 weeks. At that point, Lynda decided to reconnect with Spencer’s childhood pediatrician, Dr. Jamil Rana.
Dr. Rana’s exam and blood tests suggested that Spencer may have Crohn’s Disease. The physician immediately referred Spencer to Dr. Jeffrey Teckman at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital for further testing and a colonoscopy.
The colonoscopy confirmed that Spencer had severe Crohn’s disease and he was immediately admitted to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital to begin treatment. Thanks to his regimen of medications, Spencer quickly began to improve. The mobility in his legs began to return within hours and he gained back those 20 pounds after only the first few weeks of treatment. After one year of treatment, he had grown 7 inches!
As Spencer began to regain his health, he realized that a return to baseball was simply not in the cards. He had stopped playing for so long that the game had passed him by. But during all those years of suffering, he had been chipping and putting golf balls because he found it therapeutic.
So Spencer began diligently working on his golf game. As he grew bigger and stronger, he realized that walking 18 holes while carrying a loaded golf bag was no longer a problem. Spencer went on to play high school golf and qualified for the Illinois State Championship. After his senior season, he was offered a college golf scholarship to McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois where he is currently an incoming sophomore on the team.
Lynda concluded, “This diagnosis affected our entire family – grandparents, parents, and especially his brother Ben. Ben was terrified and ‘lost in the shuffle’ for a long time, but golf has done nothing but bring the boys closer. There is nothing like seeing your sons spending the day together playing golf because they love the sport and love playing together. We are stronger as a family and all love to golf together! We are eternally grateful to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon and especially to Dr. Teckman and Dr. Rana.”
