Oklahoma State’s Patrick McKaufman stepped up to guide a blind runner, and now he sees life more clearly
They had a wager — $1 if Gianni Toce won; a massage if Patrick McKaufman came out ahead.
Wait, what? Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds, even more so when you consider that Toce and McKaufman would be running step-for-step, with McKaufman guiding Toce, who is blind, around the track. This wasn’t a race against each other as much as it was for one another — Toce getting the physical help he needed; McKaufman building the confidence he needed to serve others in ways he has always desired.
McKaufman is a 6-foot-6 wide receiver at Oklahoma State University. Since transferring from a junior college into the program, he’s trying to establish himself on the roster, putting in extra time training with the hope of being an impact player for the Cowboys this season. That’s what he was doing when he was approached by a coach at the track: “Do you want to run with a blind guy?”
He thought it was a joke. But as the coach of the Endeavor Games for disabled athletes explained, the competition was under way and Toce’s guide had to back out at the last minute, leaving the group scrambling. As they saw McKaufman train, on a whim they inquired about his interest in being an emergency fill-in.
McKaufman had already watched his 4-year-old cousin, a leg amputee, compete in the field events. And his heart was already softened for the disabled. You see, his father had lost part of his arm in a work accident in 2005.
All McKaufman needed was an opportunity — and here it was, a chance to help out Toce, 18, who lost his sight as a child after a fireworks accident.
According to WGNO-TV in Mandeville, La., Toce’s mother died when he was 5 years old. When he was 8, he tried to send a message to her through fireworks. It went terribly wrong. He nearly lost his life.
That didn’t stop Toce. He went on to compete on his high school wrestling team and is now running track, as he did in the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Okla.
“I told my mom and dad, ‘People who have special needs are way more fun. It’s a different type of joy that you can see in their face.’ It makes you reflect on what we have and not on what we don’t have,” McKaufman said. “I appreciate what I’ve been given a whole lot more.”
The pair practiced together for a short while. They came up with a strategy for completing the 100 meters (not hard) and the 400 (much harder). With a band linked around their forearms, they maintained their stride down the track at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
They finished first in both events.
“Helping people in that way was on my to-do list,” McKaufman said.
Next up?
Play like the big pass-catcher he is — and help his team win big.
After all, he has already notched a big personal win.
