Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara established the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation after witnessing their daughter suffer and medical professionals trying to save her life. However, the golfer had developed a passion for helping children with medical needs from an early age. And his sister, Marilyn, was the reason for it. 

In his ‘Letter to Younger Self’ on theplayerstribune.com, Nicklaus mentioned how he and his sister were diagnosed with polio. And how the experience made him frustrated. 

Jack Nicklaus almost lost his sister when they were only kids

Nicklaus was only 13 when he started losing weight fast, for which the doctors couldn’t find a reason. According to his write-up in The Players Tribune, it affected his game tremendously. 

Furthermore, Nicklaus explained how his father delivered the most terrible news ever a day after he went to Lancaster for a best-ball tournament. “We just took Marilyn in … the doctors said she has polio,” his father told him. “You need to go get checked again.” Thankfully, the golfer, according to the doctors, had been “just overcoming a bout of polio and should feel better soon.” On the contrary, his sister Marilyn, “is going to battle with it for a year.” 

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Matters of Life and Death in His Family Seemingly Forced $400M Worth Jack Nicklaus to Take a Major Step in 2004

According to the letter, his sister got out of danger after discovering a vaccine for polio. However, the stress he and his family endured during this period was immense, which made him help children in need. “A day will come when you can help kids who are hurting like that,” the 18-time major champion wrote. “You’ll know — you’ll remember — what it’s like to feel helpless, and you’ll want to help,” he added. “Don’t ignore that feeling, ever.” 

Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation

Jack and his wife, Barbara Nicklaus, founded the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation in 2004. According to its official website, nchcf.org, the couple established the organization to provide families access to world-class pediatric healthcare. 

Notably, the Foundation supports Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and innovative programs focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of childhood illness. The website also reveals that the Foundation helped raise more than $165 million for pediatric initiatives. And children from over 119 countries get help through the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.  

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Jack Nicklaus is widely considered the greatest golfer of all time. And although his childhood and parenthood experiences led him to do it, the golfer proved to be a great human being by helping children worldwide through the Foundation he and his wife established.