POWELL, Ohio — The golf events with the Ohio Senior Olympics are teeing off on Tuesday, and Rick Meeker is getting ready for it.
This year is his second time qualifying in the golf event. In 2022, Meeker won a top medal in his age group.
What You Need To Know
- Rick Meeker is competing in the 2024 Ohio Senior Olympics 20 years after his liver transplant
- It’s his second time qualifying in the golf event
- Doctors told Meeker he needed a liver transplant after being diagnosed with hemochromatosis
“I’m 77 years old, and it’s kept me in shape,” he said.
Golfing has become everything to Meeker. He says it’s helped him through some tough times.
“I had a new family doctor, and he told me, ‘Rick, there’s something going on in your body that I’m not sure of’.”
That’s when Meeker learned about his hemochromatosis.
“I had it all my life,” he said, “and it was never diagnosed correctly.”
The condition caused an overload of iron in his body, affecting his liver, and he almost died.
“By the time I was 55, as it turned out, I had 7 to 10 days to live,” Meeker said.
But Meeker says what saved him was the generosity of a stranger.
“I’m so blessed that somebody in Lima, Ohio was an organ donor,” he said. “And he thought far enough ahead to be an organ donor that saved my life.”
It’s been 20 years since the liver transplant, and he’s nothing but grateful.
“I wouldn’t be here today,” Meeker said. “I wouldn’t have seen my kids grow up.”
Since claiming his life back, the 2024 Senior Olympics is next in his sights.
“The Nationals this year are held in Des Moines, Iowa. And so hopefully I will make it there. And if I don’t, hey, it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on.”
To learn more about organ donation, you can visit Lifeline of Ohio.