How local dad, John Bean, gives back through Cow Chip Bingo
John Bean vividly remembers his worst day as a parent. It started with what seemed to be unnecessary routine bloodwork for his 15-month old son, Jonathan. Jonathan had had a high fever for several days. It had been over 103 degrees. But the night before, the fever had broken, and things seemed to be moving in a better direction.
Around noon, after finishing up their outpatient clinic visit for the bloodwork, John was trying to get Jonathan back to his normal self by showing him a new plastic baseball and tee-ball stick. Jonathan was happy, the sun was warm, and the phone was ringing through the screen door.
John ran inside to answer. It was their pediatrician’s office, calling with the results of the bloodwork. After identifying John as Jonathan’s dad, the doctor immediately asked if Jonathan was indoors and away from everyone else.
Confused, John said, “No, he’s outside playing tee-ball with his mom and me.”
The doctor then firmly told John to get his son inside, away from everyone, and then to immediately head to the children’s hospital. They were not to stop anywhere on the way there.
Still confused, John asked the doctor why he was being told to do this.
“Your son doesn’t have any white blood cells, and a simple cold could be lethal,” she said.
John was shocked and confused. His words were garbled as he asked, “What do you think could be the cause of this?”
The doctor responded, “We think Jonathan has Leukemia.”
That response caused John’s entire world to shift.
The trip to the hospital was the most difficult of his life.
John said, “The world was almost devoid of sound, color, and sensations as we drove our only child to the hospital. When I called my parents to explain what was happening, I couldn’t speak or form a single word.”
John and his then-wife Melanie Venetia Bean spent three days in intensive care incubation with Jonathan. But he continued to show no signs of sickness. During that time they met other parents who were also reeling with the fear that their child may have cancer, or dealing with the news that their child did have cancer.
Though it took months to get an accurate diagnosis, Jonathan was eventually cleared of the suspicion of Leukemia. What he did have was a rare but non-life-threatening blood disorder called cyclic neutropenia. As John and Melanie left the hospital, they felt almost guilty. They still remembered those parents who had heard worse news or had not yet received their news.
Giving back through Cow Chip Bingo
That experience will stay with John for a lifetime.
He said, “Twenty years later, when deciding which group I wanted to give back some time and to provide service to others, I chose Kiwanis, particularly driven by our chapter’s focus on families that have kids with cancer.”
The Cow Chip Bingo fundraising event is unique. Tickets are sold for $10. The ticket gets you a number in a grid painted on a field. Then a cow is released and allowed to roam the grid. Wherever the cow drops his “chip” is the winning square. The winner takes home $500, and the rest of the proceeds go toward the Pediatric Cancer Fund.
“My three years at the annual Cow Chip event have been almost cathartic,” John said. “Kids, volunteers, supporters, family, ticket holders, and families we’ve helped, simply enjoyed the day. They were visiting and getting to know and spend time with each other, watching the kids have fun, and enjoying the music, hamburgers, and hot dogs. This event isn’t big on speeches or formality, but rather is just a comfortable, relaxing day in the sun. And the proceeds enable us to help more families that have kids with cancer.
Try Cow Chip Bingo
This year’s event will be on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The location is at the corner of Quail View Road and Carmel Road in Charlotte. Besides the Cow Chip Bingo, entertainment includes music, silent auctions, games, a petting zoo, and a bouncy house. Get tickets through Eventbrite, Paypal or at the door with cash or Visa.
Photo Credit: John Bean
This story was written for CharlotteFive’s latest channel for parents in the QC, called QC Playground. Sign up for the weekly QC Playground newsletter here.
This story was originally published September 17, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "How local dad, John Bean, gives back through Cow Chip Bingo."