KEALAKEKUA — Sports are fun. Paperwork and logistics are not, especially for young athletes who are eager to get on the field.
When Thane and Kirk Milhoan came up with the idea for “No Athlete Left Behind,” they had this in mind, and hoped to remove one of the major hurdles that may keep a kid off the field — sports physicals.
For the past three years, Kirk Milhoan — a pediatric cardiologist — has been providing free physicals to Big Island youth, making sure kids are on the field or court when the first practices start rolling around.
“We know there are limited amounts of physicians that are available here, and the reality is, some families simply can’t afford it,” said Kirk Milhoan, who also does the program on Maui, where he resides. “Sometimes, it can take months to schedule a physical. We wanted to do our best to take away every possible obstacle that keeps these kids from getting on the field.”
On top of being a pediatric cardiologist, Kirk Milhoan travels the world with his nonprofit organization “For Hearts and Souls” doing international medical missions. He has provided care in Third World countries — places like Nepal and Iraq — literally healing hearts. He is also a pastor at Calvary Chapel in South Maui.
Thane Milhoan is no stranger to helping local youth through sports. He runs the Big Island Sports Network, and has been the highlight tape guru on the island for quite some time. On more than a few occasions, he has been a catalyst in bringing a spotlight to multiple top athletes on this island, helping lead to college offers.
“It’s an easy problem to solve, and it really takes limited effort from us,” Thane Milhoan said of the program.
“People always wonder what the catch is,” Kirk Milhoan added with a smile.
There’s no doubt about it — having a physical before every season is not just another piece of paperwork. It is an important step to keep student-athletes safe, not only for that season, but down the line. If there’s an issue that might affect a youth’s future, a physical can help detect it.
For example, on Friday at Konawaena High School, one of the patients had a slight heart murmur. But being a pediatric cardiologist, Kirk Milhoan was able to clear the student-athlete with an echocardiogram. It was a situation that could have been a much longer process, he said.
“What most parents and coaches are usually most afraid of is a sudden, cardiac death on the field or court. The notoriety of those incidents have become huge through social media and other channels,” Kirk Milhoan said. “It’s a rare occurrence — happening to around 1 in 300,000 athletes — but when it happens you hear about it. With a physical, you can take steps to prevent those kind of things and bring peace of mind.”
The brothers have been getting an assist this year from a group of nurses from Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi. In four hours at Konawaena on Friday, the crew completed 27 sports physicals.
Over the life of the program, they have helped hundreds of Big Island athletes get on the field.
“We don’t want kids to lose a great opportunity to experience team building, learn a new degree of discipline and possibly take away a chance to play at the next level in college,” Thane Milhoan said.
“All of a sudden they care about their grades and they have a chance to go on the next level,” Kirk Milhoan added. “Maybe they just want to go to community college — that’s great. Maybe they are the first people in their family to do that. Those are reasons why we do this.”
The program will be in Honokaa on Saturday for its final stop on the Big Island. It will be held at the The Honokaa County Complex Gym from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
And, of course, it is free.
