The Tampa Tribune - Sports
Thursday May 11, 2000

Finding a Silver Lining

by Joey Johnston, Columnist

Dear Andrea, Watching my 9-year-old daughter make the decision to have her leg amputated, when she had been the fastest runner, a dancer, a gymnast, the best athlete within her elementary school, and see the acceptance of what life has put in front of her with very little anger, is the hardest thing I have ever done. But meeting groups like yours makes it possible for me to get up in the morning. Thanks for being the person you are. And for sharing your heart. Sincerely, Linda Henderson, a mom.

A few months ago, Andrea Jaeger was on a flight to Los Angeles. Somebody stopped her in the aisle. "I know you... I've seen you on television," the person said. Wow, Jaeger thought. Hadn't heard that in a while. After all, it had been 17 years since she made the Wimbledon final, even longer since she was the world's No. 2-ranked women's tennis player. "Yeah, I used to play professional tennis," Jaeger said. "No, no, no," they said, "you're the one who helps those kids with cancer." Jaeger got teary-eyed. That's how she wants to be known. Forget the tennis. She recently was contacted by the Wimbledon tournament director, who invited her to play in the 35-and-over event. No thanks, she said. I'll be too busy. Jaeger's Silver Lining Ranch, a refuge for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, is going strong in Aspen, Colo. For 10 years, she has brought kids to Aspen for week-long adventures of whitewater rafting, fishing, swimming, arts and crafts, skiing, horseback riding, sing-alongs, talent shows, dancing and dinners. Instead of cancer patients, they can be kids. Instead of drawing stares, they receive hugs.

Some might call it an escape. Jaeger calls it an entry point. Last year, the ranch opened its permanent home, a $6 million, 18,000-square-foot facility on 10 acres of prime real estate, which was donated by Fritz and Fabi Benedict. It's a monument to Jaeger's tenacious fundraising and the generosity of financier Ted Forstmann, who pledged $1.7 million. Saturday, the ProSure Foundation, a local non-profit organization, will host the "Fore The Children" Golf Classic at The Eagles Golf Club in Tampa. Proceeds will be used to sponsor kids from All Children's Hospital to attend the Silver Lining Ranch. "Andrea's work is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard about," said Mark Clements, ProSure's president. "I had to get involved. How could you not get involved? When you see those children, it tears your heart out. She's giving them joy. She's giving them hope." Jaeger, originally from Chicago, has deep roots in the Tampa Bay area. For years, her father was a tennis instructor at Saddlebrook Resort. After retirement from tennis - following seven shoulder surgeries - she lived and worked in Tampa. SHE WAS DRAWN to volunteer work at the Moffitt Cancer Center, where she distributed mail.

When talking with the kids, she discovered kindred spirits. Jaeger turned pro at age 14 and had few friends on the tour. On the road, she often returned to her hotel room and drifted into a childlike dream world. Sometimes, she played Monopoly along ­ her left hand against her right hand. She was a misfit in an adult's world. "I didn't have a peer group," Jaeger said. "I turned pro so young. I missed out on proms, dances and stuff from my childhood. So I really feel something in common with the kids who come to our ranch, just like I was always drawn to kids in hospitals when I played. "They're trying so desperately to fit in. They're not given a chance. They're having to live with cancer, but it doesn't have to mean they're dying. We want to bring them some happiness." It has been a consuming vocation. In the beginning, Jaeger's kids were housed in an Aspen hotel and taken by van to various activities. Expenses mounted for airline tickets, meals, activities, medical attention. Meanwhile, she was chewing through her bankrolled $1.4 million in prize-money earnings, buying time by charging necessities on credit cards and searching for benefactors. There were few takers. Then John McEnroe sent a check. go to page 2