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 But Drew is making more of a mark these days as a tour caddy, one carrying an invisible burden along with a 50-pound golf bag. Drew, 44, juggles her jobs as a caddy, teaching professional and player on the Women’s Senior Golf Tour with raising awareness for a drug therapy that helps her manage her multiple sclerosis, a battle she went public with last year. “I’ve become more comfortable with having the disease, and at a certain point I felt I had to stand up and talk about it,” said Drew, who lives in Bermuda Dunes. “Making it a little easier for the newly diagnosed to understand the challenges they face — that would be my hope.” It was during the 1996 off-season when Drew was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. In New Orleans for a pro-am charity event, she began having trouble writing her name when signing autographs. She experienced numbness on the left side of her body and weakness on the right. Drew pulled out of the event and flew back to California to meet with a neurologist, who quickly delivered the bad news. “Initially, I went through a lot of emotions, fear being number one,” Drew said. “Then I got over feeling bad about everything. In golf, you can have a bad hole, a bad round. You learn to put that behind you or else you’re not going to be able to compete successfully.” MS is a neurological disease that effects muscle control, strength and balance, and sometimes vision and mental functions. Those with the relapsing-remitting form experience symptoms that randomly appear and dissipate. There are several drug therapies available, but it wasn’t until January 1997 that Drew started a program with Copaxium in which she gives herself daily injections. She reports being nearly symptom-free ever since. Drew’s doctor also advised her that having a positive outlook would help tremendously in dealing with MS. She took his words to heart, along with committing to a fitness regimen. “I’m in better shape now than when I was competing,” said Drew, who works out two to four times per week and is an avid hiker. “It’s easier when I’m home and can monitor my diet, but I’m not out there eating french fries and drinking milkshakes.” She has caddied for five LPGA players since retiring from the tour in 1999 — not because of MS, but rather her declining play. Drew was first approached with an offer to caddy in 2000 by Allison Finney, and having already decided to retire, the choice to stay in the game and face new challenges as a caddy was an easy one. When Drew was first diagnosed, she educated herself on MS and relied on a “tremendous set of friends and family” for emotional support. But since going public, Drew finds she’s connecting while on the road with a built-in support group on the links. “Last year, at the U.S. Open, a police officer at the tournament came over and asked me to sign his hat,” she says. “I looked a little confused until he said, ‘My wife has MS, too, and I really appreciate your message of hope.’” Drew says she is “amazed by the response” and understands her visibility on the tour offers encouragement to others. “There’s a good-size group of us living with MS,” Drew said. “I’m in a position where I can answer a lot of questions for the newly diagnosed.” |
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