Out-Cast
A behind-the-scenes reflection of the Wal-Mart FLW Series event on Lake Cumberland from ‘FLW Outdoors’ TV personality Keith Lebowitz
Jeremy Hicks is my new hero. He is a 13-year-old young man from Somerset, Ky., who is battling for his life. Stricken just over a year ago by a cancerous tumor on his spinal cord, Jeremy has been unable to do what he loves most – fish.
He fished every weekend according to his folks until one day last year, when they noticed he was limping around. They took their son to the doctor and found that their worst fears had come true – Jeremy had cancer. To make matters worse, the cancer that originated on Jeremy’s spinal cord has now spread to his brain as well. As a result, Jeremy is now confined to a wheel-chair – his only means of getting around.
I met Jeremy and his family last weekend at the FLW Series event on Lake Cumberland, and was so touched that it brought me, and several others around the weigh-in stage, to tears. But what brought me to tears more than anything else was the true joy of watching Jeremy meet many of his heroes.
One by one, Jay Yelas, Luke Clausen, Clark Wendlandt, Mike Surman, and the entire top-10 field, all took a moment before the final weigh-in, to say hello, sign autographs and make Jeremy feel as though they were there for him. It was truly one of those moments that sends chills through your body. The pros made Jeremy smile a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon. Castrol Pro Mike Surman even quipped, “Can you teach me how to catch some bass on Cumberland, because I couldn’t figure it out today,” to which Jeremy laughed endlessly, and said, “I’ll try.”
Several pros, including Koby Krieger and Bobby Lane, took time from their fishing schedules to visit Jeremy, wish him well and regale his with fishing stories from the past week. Watching this only underscored just how amazing our industry can be by touching those around us.
It is such a wonderful sight to see those that have had success in the sport of bass fishing, giving back to those that really need it. Jeremy’s father told me that Jeremy had been “waiting for this event all year long” and I would imagine that Jeremy Hicks will never forget the day that the FLW Series rolled through Somerset, Ky.
In fact, I would imagine that anyone who was there on that Saturday afternoon will never forget meeting or seeing the smile on the face of 13-year old Jeremy Hicks.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeremy and your family.
(Editor’s note: Keith Lebowitz’s experience as a sports reporter and sports show anchor is considerable. He’s been acknowledged with industry awards numerous times: a 2001 honor from The Associated Press for the Fox Sports Net show “Southwest Sports Report,” a 1996 Emmy winner in the Los Angeles area for outstanding sports reporting on KTTV Fox Television, a 1990 Golden Mike Award for best sportscast at KCSN in Los Angeles and honors for his work as a reporter in 1999 for the Emmy Award-winning “Season of Speed” at KTVT CBS 11 in Dallas. He has interviewed many of the greats including Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Troy Aikman. Currently, Lebowitz is host of FLW Outdoors Television on FSN).
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