For dad, tournament has special meaning
Todd Knight said he always knew charity was an important part of the annual Key West Boats Fishing for Miracles King Mackerel Tournament. But it really hit home six years ago with the birth of his daughter McCoy.
Knight's wife Alison suffered from preeclampsia, causing her blood pressure to soar. Alison's condition became life-threatening for her and her baby. As a result, McCoy was delivered almost two months early.
"She almost died because her blood pressure spiked so high and McCoy wasn't ready to be born," Knight said. "She was born with collapsed lungs and pneumonia. I saw her five or 10 minutes after she was born and she fought for every single breath."
McCoy was transported almost immediately to the Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital where she spent 2 1/2 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit.
"I was thinking there was a chance I was going to lose both my wife and daughter," Knight said.
But after being cared for by the physicians and nurses at MUSC, McCoy was healthy enough to go home. Today, McCoy is a healthy, happy youngster preparing to enter first grade at Orange Grove Elementary Charter School.
"Once McCoy was born and we went through what we went through, that's when I put two and two together," said Knight, who helped secure Fishizzle Tackle Co. as a sponsor for this year's Fishing for Miracles tournament.
Knight said money raised through the tournament helps MUSC purchase equipment and conduct research studies that save lives.
Each year, approximately 200 boats enter the Fishing for Miracles tournament in quest of the $25,000 prize for the biggest king mackerel. Most, like Knight, know a portion of the money raised through the event goes to the MUSC Children's Hospital and to the Coastal Conservation Association of South Carolina. Each organization has received almost $300,000 as a result of the tournament, which is in its 18th year.
Stories like McCoy's offer a different perspective on tournament fishing, said Rob Donlin, Fishing for Miracles tournament chairman.
"I didn't know Todd and McCoy's story until he came to us," Donlin said. "Stories like theirs are what we need to hear. The tournament is more than fishing. It's about kids and about the environment."
Although participation was down in 2010, Donlin said approximately $9,000 went to each organization last year. Over the years some anglers have donated a portion of their winnings to MUSC. Last year's winning boat, the Juggernaut owned by Bert Harvey out of Beaufort, gave $1,000 to MUSC.
