Connie Cox is raising money to build a medical clinic in Gaitu, Kenya, after receiving a life-changing diagnosis. Credit: Courtesy of RJ Hill Photography
Buckeye fans are serious about football — and some are even serious enough to postpone a life-saving brain surgery.
Connie Cox, an Ohio State alumna and retired teacher, received a life-threatening diagnosis days before the Ohio State-Clemson game, but she postponed surgery to root on the Buckeyes, she said. Now, she’s working toward another miracle — building a medical clinic in Kenya.
Cox, an avid golfer, said she first realized something was wrong when she couldn’t hit her tee.
“I bought a new driver — top of the line, $500 driver — thinking something’s wrong with my golf game,” Cox said. “Come to find out, I have a tumor in the back right of my brain.”
On Dec. 26, Cox was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer that is difficult to treat and 5 percent of patients survive five years following diagnosis, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.
The doctors at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, wanted to schedule her for surgery the next day, but Cox said no.
“I told the doctors and my family, I go, ‘I’m going home. We’re having a bonfire today. And I’m watching the Buckeye game on New Year’s Day against Clemson to break the curse of Woody Hayes,’” Cox said.
Referring to the 1978 Gator Bowl that ended Hayes’ career and began a losing streak against the Tigers, Cox said she rescheduled her surgery for Jan. 8 and rooted on her beloved Buckeyes to victory.
After the win, Cox said she moved her focus toward accomplishing her goal of building a medical clinic in the Kenyan village of Gaitu.
Through her church — Covenant United Methodist — Cox and her wife, Jennifer Coady, got involved with mission trips to Gaitu in the summer of 2017. Coady said Cox’s dedication to the clinic and the people of the village was immediate.
“She totally fell in love with the people of the clinic and is always trying to generate funds,” Coady said.
Since her diagnosis, Cox has created the Connie Cox Gaitu Village Foundation and a GoFundMe page to raise money for the clinic. The foundation is still awaiting 501(c)(3) status to become a nonprofit, but Cox said the money will be used to finish building the clinic, supplies, staff and more.
“I would like to — being a teacher — look into educating them a little more and maybe even getting a women’s facility for breast cancer and more,” Cox said.
Cox said the village is 45 minutes away from the nearest medical facility. With no transportation, the villagers need closer medical care.
“We had a woman carrying a child who had cerebral palsy two miles on her back and no water,” Cox said.
In 2012, a small building was opened inside the church to serve as a weekly clinic, but Cox said they did not have the needed funding for staff or medicine. A church, school and well were created before Cox joined the efforts, so she said her focus was more toward establishing the clinic and getting the supplies the villagers needed.
Through all of this, Cox said she is overwhelmed by the love being spread to her from all around the world, including her first-grade boyfriend who sent “prayers and love out to Foxy Coxy.”
“It’s just a blessing to see the seeds that you’ve sown come back,” Cox said. “Not many people get that opportunity to actually see gratitude from people’s lives that you’ve touched.”
Coady said love is not a foreign concept to Cox.
“Her passion for Ohio State, and her love for people everywhere — she kind of bubbles over with love and concern for others,” Coady said.
After attending Ohio State from 1981-83, Cox said she makes sure to share her love for the Buckeyes wherever she goes, including the clinic.
The first thing she did when she arrived in Gaitu was teach the children the O-H-I-O cheer. She also built a special Ohio State-themed basketball court.
“I put a backboard up on the side of one school wall for the children and I took a Sharpie and wrote ‘Buckeye Country,’” Cox said.
Predicting a 37-31 win over Alabama, Cox said she is looking forward to a speedy recovery from her surgery Friday and is rooting on the Buckeyes to a national title.
