Another Special Life in Christ

These testimony lives are not stories of "role models". Jesus is the role model!
These are lives wonderfully touched & changed by Jesus!

Code refuses to bogey life:

[from the Mobile Register 5 Sept. 2000]

It was hot, really, really hot. The greens were fast and the pin placements difficult. The holes were playing long and some of the fairways were too narrow. And it was hot, really, really hot. Those were some of the complaints registered by several players in the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Junior Classic at Magnolia Grove during the Labor Day weekend. None of those complaints were uttered by Mallory Code. It's not her style.

Heaven knows, if anyone deserves to complain it would be the 15-year-old Tampa native. Life has been a series of obstacles for her; the reasons to feel unlucky or cursed are many. Instead, Mallory Code feels she is one of the luckiest people in the world, a person who is blessed not cursed. "I've got a great family and a great life. And I only have one problem...CF."

And with a smile that comes quickly and easily, she makes those around her believe she's right.

But there's evidence to the contrary. Foremost, Mallory has cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects her respiratory and digestive systems and makes her an east target for respiratory illnesses. She also has diabetes, a byproduct of the cystic fibrosis and an illness that requires constant monitoring as well. She has also developed sinus problems - again, associated with the cystic fibrosis - that have required nine surgeries, with others likely.

As such, she must take eight pills before every meal in an effort to replace the enzymes she has lost as a result of CF. She must also take insulin shots every day - anywhere from six to 12, according to conditions and activities - to battle diabetes. She carries an inhaler with her to deal with her sinus problems when needed.

Because she is susceptible to disease much moreso than others because of CF, because the disease forms a breeding ground for germs, Mallory must be aware of her surroundings and take great care to avoid colds or flu that could develop into something much more serious. The disease, said her father, Brian Code, must be treated aggressively with antibiotics and caution.

It would be easy for Mallory Code to sit at home and complain that life has not been fair to her. It would even be understandable. But to her, it would be wrong. To her, the interruption to the rhythm of each day with pills, inhalers and injections, the constant precautions, is normal. And if there is one thing for which she fights, it is to be as normal as her health will allow.

That's why fast, unforgiving greens don't bother her. That's why narrow fairways get a smile, not a groan. That's why even when it's hot, really, really hot, Mallory Code is really, really happy.

"When I was younger, my parents never made a big deal out of it," Mallory said of her health problems. "They never said, 'Poor Mallory.' To me, this is how it's always been. Plus, I'm not one to sit around."

For most, for healthy people, the most difficult part of playing golf is getting a tee time. For Mallory to play golf - and she plays at a national level, having won the Rolex Tournament of Champions this year as well as the American Junior Golf Association's Taylor Made-adidas Golf Texas Junior Classic - there is much to consider. She has to keep her inhaler handy and make sure she takes her insulin shots during the round, sometimes as many as eight. She must monitor her health at the same time she's trying to negotiate the golf course.

"I think people do take things for granted sometimes," Mallory said. "I do, too, with the things I have. ... The reason I play golf is because I love it. God has blessed me in so many other ways that being sick doesn't come close, not even close."

She has also been blessed with a special family. Her older sister, Whitney, finished fourth in the RTJ Golf Trail Junior Classic; Mallory, who started slowly, finished tied for 12th. Her brother, Jordan, is in his freshman year at the University of Florida, where he plays on the golf team. Father Brian and mother Karen, who met on a golf course, serve as parents, teachers, doctors, friends.

In many ways, Mallory's illness has become a family fight. Because of the difficulty in fighting colds, especially at daycare centers and schools, the Codes decided to home-school all their children.

There are sacrifices and rewards, Brian Code said. And home-schooling was never considered until a doctor, who home-schooled his five children, made the suggestion just as Mallory, who had become quite ill on four occasions when she was sporadically attending a daycare center, was about to begin kindergarten.

"Karen and I laughed at the idea when it was first suggested," Brian Code said. "We thought the doctor might be some left-over hippie or something."

Instead, Florida soon approved home-schooling in the state, and Karen Code researched the plan. She soon convinced her husband it might be something to consider. They decided to try it, with the plan of doing it for three or four years, then working the children back into a school system. Instead, with Karen leading the way, it became an idea they liked, an idea that worked well for their family.

Part of the home-schooling process involves taking a standardized test at the end of each year to measure the progress of the students.

"When they take the standardized test, it's not only the kids being tested, but Karen is being tested, too," Brian Code said. "So far, they have tested out in the 96 to 97 percentile every time."

Jordan Code scored all A's in his recent semester at Florida.

Some have suggested home-schooling becomes a socialization problem, but Brian Code said he doesn't feel that way. The Code children interact with family and friends, and the golfing community with which they share much time. There's also their church, in which they are very involved.

In fact, because of the notoriety she has received for her golf, Mallory has become a role model for other children who have been diagnosed with CF. Recently, a youngster at the Code's church was diagnosed with the disease. Mallory visited with the youngster, using her active life - she also dances (jazz, tap and ballet) and plays piano - to demonstrate it is possible to live an active life with the disease.

It is a life Mallory Code considers normal, a life the rest of us consider extraordinary.

"When we found out about the CF, I remember telling Karen, 'This is one of those things that will either tear us apart or bring us together'," Brian Code said. "It has brought us together.

"Without some closeness or some humor - we usually travel five to a hotel room - it would be difficult. We tease a lot and everybody dishes it out and we have a lot of fun with it, with being together."

And Mallory Code gives as good as she takes, in life and good-natured teasing.

"With the disease she has, it's almost a miracle (how she plays golf at the level she plays)," Brian Code said. "And to her, it's normal." [I saw her story on TV...ESPN?...weekend of 29 Jan. 2001] Her life with the disease ended at age 25 in 2009, HERE. See other faith & health information [here].

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