By Don Ketchum

Kelly Flynn takes a look around the golf course, sees the green grass and the trees rustling in the breeze. She feels the warmth of the sunlight on her face. She tees the ball up, takes a big swing and watches it fly.

It is a great day.

For a long time, the senior at Anthem Boulder Creek High didn’t have too many great days. It was just the opposite.

Flynn was showing a lot of promise on the golf course after she moved from the Bay area in California and started her freshman season.

In December of that year, she got a case of bronchitis, but an overreaction to antibiotics short-circuited her kidney functions. She contracted Nephrotic Syndrome, where the kidneys allow too much protein to leak into the bloodstream.

The day after Christmas, her kidneys failed. She underwent a biopsy and was put on steroids. She lost muscle tone and she had to use a wheelchair. She became foggy, confused. She looked at the clock on the wall and could not tell what time it was. She began taking a chemotherapy drug and lost her hair.

Because her body filled with fluid, due in part to the steroids, she ballooned to 180 pounds. Then diuretics were administered and she dropped all the way to 80. She since has returned to her normal weight of about 115.

She was in and out of the hospital with outpatient rehabilitation. She later contracted a case of the swine flu that kept her out of school for two more months.

Part of her rehab involved swinging a golf club.

“It was hard at first,’’ Flynn said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to go back to the way I was.’’

Now she is back at full strength, and just last week (Sept. 14), she went into remission.

“I don’t have to take any more pills and my protein is not leaking,’’ she said with excitement in her voice.

Although she still might feel an occasional twinge in her back, she is moving forward in her attempt to qualify for the Division I state tournament for the second straight year. Entering the team’s match in Goodyear on Wednesday (Sept. 21), she had three state qualifying scores and was looking for a fourth (five are required).

“She always has a smile on her face, keeps a positive attitude,’’ said Boulder Creek coach Dustin Riley. “She continues to work hard. She doesn’t want her teammates to see her sitting down. Her dedication is second to none.’’

Riley calls Flynn, the only senior on the team, “a steady player. She keeps the ball in play. She is good with her driver and her irons and doesn’t have to take too may penalty shots. She still needs some work on her putting, but she is continuing to improve.’’

Flynn is more than happy to help her teammates if they have questions about their game – “like another coach out there,’’ Riley said. “She’s pretty outgoing, a talker. She’s real open. She will talk about golf with just about anyone. It is in her blood.’’

He also noted her excellence in the classroom. She has served on various committees, and has taken honors classes.

Flynn’s teammates, friends and family were a big support to her during her illness. They would come and bring gifts, play board games with her and talk. Flynn and her mother often would talk to the priests at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, and they provided spiritual guidance.

A byproduct of her hospital stay was a keen interest in the medical field. She hopes to study medicine in some form in college while also playing golf. Even before her illness, she said she was leaning toward medicine.

“I would go out with my friends on Halloween,’’ she recalled. “My mom would take a photo and three of my friends would be dressed as princesses and I would be the only one dressed like a surgeon. I think it would be interesting to work in an ER (emergency room) some day.’’

She would be able to give back to honor the many people who have helped her.

It will be another great day.