Scott Slade has played golf since he was a kid growing up in Colorado.

He even caddied for his friend Bobby Kalinowski at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in 2000. So when Slade, a 4S Ranch resident, started to feel back pain after a round of golf on Christmas Eve, he attributed it to golf.

What happened next came as a shock to the 44-year-old.

Slade was at his home on Jan. 2 getting ready to head to the doctor to get an MRI on his aching back when he collapsed. After being rushed to Pomerado Hospital, Slade learned he had a powerful bacterial infection that had overtaken his body.

Seven days after being admitted, the infection entered the top of his spinal cord.

Slade is now completely paralyzed and on a ventilator at Craig Hospital, a specialized hospital outside of Denver. Due to the medical costs, which 4S Ranch residents helped raise money to partially offset, life hasn't been the same for the Slade family.

But back in January, his wife, Kathy, said they weren't sure if he would live through the night.

"They didn't even know how sick he was," said Kathy, who was 35 weeks pregnant at the time.

A heavy dose of antibiotics failed, and the infection continued to spread.

"I'm just glad he is still here," Kathy said. "The first month was so touch and go."

Kathy said the doctors did not diagnose the infection, which they believe might have occurred because Scott has eczema, because they don't regularly check for it.

"It is so uncommon," She said. "It is not something they look for."

Due to the stress, Kathy went into labor the same day her husband was rushed to the hospital. She was taken to Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women in San Diego and given a shot to stop the contractions. It didn't work, and twin girls, Samantha Elaine and Stephanie Kathleen, were born 14 minutes apart on Jan. 4 - five weeks premature.

"We were looking forward to the birth of our babies," Scott said by phone from the hospital. "After every sonogram, I called my mom and dad to tell them how everything was going. It was probably the greatest and most amazing experience for me.

"Then of course, unfortunately, I didn't get to help with the birth."

Scott saw the twins for the first time when they were one-month old outside Pomerado Hospital as he was wheeled to a CT scan machine.

Scott said the decision to go to Colorado was a difficult one because he did not want to leave his family behind. But they knew it was his best chance to ever walk again. The hospital specializes in rehabilitation and research for patients with spinal cord injuries as well as ventilator-dependent patients, such as Scott.

Because of the distance, Scott has only seen the twins a handful of times since they were born.

"I am just so happy and so blessed to have them be a part of my life," said Scott. "I just want to get back home to be with them and take care of them in any way that I can. I am, unfortunately, not going to be much help, but I think being around them will help me heal, too. They are great little spirits to be around."

Scott hopes that sprit one day translates to the golf course, where he plans on teaching the game to his daughters.

"If I am there, I will try to teach them," Scott said. "Whether I can help them or not, I will get someone to help them out. I will certainly be with them."

Father's Day

A pressure wound sustained after a recent surgery has relegated Scott to five weeks of bed rest. He is not able to sit up or attend physical therapy. Because of this, Kathy decided to wait until he is able to get into his wheelchair before she brings the twins for another visit.

So Scott will spend his first Father's Day without his girls.

"Regardless of whether they are here or not, they are in my heart and I will be thinking of them," Scott said. "I know they are my girls and I am a father and that is the most important thing. I know what it is all about."

If he was home, Scott knows he would be sitting in front of the television watching the final round of the U.S. Open.

"It is one of the priorities," Scott said. "You got four protected days a year."

Kathy said she and the girls don't have any plans for the day, but she plans to see him on Monday - something she tries to do every other week.

"I'm sure it will be hard on all of us," she said. "Mother's Day was hard. I told him we have many more to come. It was not what we planned, but we can always make the next one better."

Community support

Chris Jensen had never met Scott before hearing his story. Still, Jensen, who lives two streets from Slade, decided it was time to help.

When Jensen, a board member for 4S Ranch Little League, saw a flyer on a snack bar wall that said the family needed community support for the production of their audition tape for ABC's reality show "Extreme Home Makeover," he felt compelled to help out a neighbor.

"We just happened to be playing the night they were asking members to support them in the taping," Jensen said. "We decided instead of playing the game we would get as many kids as possible to go out there and support them. We had kids in their uniforms all walk up there. That is kind of how I first met them."

Jensen said community support is just one of the attributes of Little League.

"Part of the Little League mantra is not only teaching kids how to play baseball but serving the community and things like that," said Jensen, who coaches the Triple-A Storm. "I thought it was good for them to go up there and take part in that."

Jensen said 40 children in uniform joined more than 200 neighbors for the taping. The Little League also held a fund-raiser and donated money from snack bar proceeds to send to the family. In all, they donated more than $7,500.

"They were wonderful," Kathy said. "I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even believe it. I had no words to describe what they did. And when they raised so much money I was shocked. It was very nice."

The video will be submitted next week after a friend of Scott's, who is a Hollywood producer, decided to help out and produce a video that would catch the attention of ABC.

"Hopefully it will help sway the vote," Kathy said. "Anything to help out. Because I can't even imagine what the costs will be for all of this."

Money

The "Extreme Home Makeover" tape is just one way the family is trying to get help. Because Scott is now wheelchair-bound, the Slades face at least $150,000 worth of upgrades to their house to make it wheelchair accessible.

Scott's sister, Erin Aas, has taken the lead to raise money and awareness for her older brother. She said they will need at least $500,000 for all other necessary upgrades for the first year alone, based on an early estimate. They have raised less than $60,000 so far.

Craig Hospital costs $90,000 a month, and Slade's insurance will only pay for two months of his four-month stay.

"We know the insurance will (also) pay for a wheelchair and his ventilator and a medical bed," Aas said. "But they won't pay for a special-needs van, and that's between $30,000 and $50,000. They won't pay for special equipment and tools that they say aren't medically necessary.

"He needs stuff that will turn lights on and off, or the television or to even answer the phone so he still has some independence and mobility. That's not covered."

Scott will also need 24-hour home care. With twins, a full-time work schedule at Cricket Wireless and several trips a month to see her husband, Kathy said she doesn't have a lot of time to think about the costs that are coming. But she does worry about them.

"I worry about it, because 24-hour care isn't cheap," said Kathy, who relies on family and friends during her trips to Denver.

Over the past six months, Scott said he has seen a new side to his wife.

"My wife has always been a wonderful person," he said. "I never knew she had the inner strength that she has. Over the last six months she's just been amazing.

"The number of things she's been able to handle - I am dealing with a lot with my problems, but she has got even more to deal with because she has everything and she has just taken it to task."

The family expects Scott to be home in time for their anniversary, which is Oct. 25.

"I just can't get there fast enough for me," Scott said. "I want to be back home."

Once he is home, Scott hopes he can make it out to next year's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which will also fall on Father's Day.

"I would love to get out there and see it," said Scott. "It's such a beautiful location and it is a special place for us."

The couple had their wedding reception at the Torrey Pines Lodge in 2003. Kathy is hoping to get tickets to attend next year's U.S. Open.

"Hopefully we can get out there and enjoy the tournament," Kathy said, "but I'm not sure if we'll be able to afford it."

- Contact staff writer Matt Null at mnull@nctimes.com.

How to help

To donate, send checks made payable to Erin Aas, at Bank of Colorado, P.O. Drawer N, Durango, CO, 81302, 1-970-247-5151. Please put "Scott and Kathy Slade Saving Fund" on the memo line.

For information on how to make tax deductible or corporate donation, please contact Erin Aas for more information: eaas@earthlink.net.

To donate online and to learn more about Scott and for updates on his condition, please go to scottsbslade.com.