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Bill Mykytka and his wife, Megan, were home watching TV one night, when they saw a story on Dateline NBC featuring the Bingham family from Haines, Oregon.

Three of the five Bingham children were diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that would require a heart transplant. The other two children had heart issues that are being monitored closely. The national story was (literally) close to home—the family was being treated just down the road at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Bill, a PGA Class “A” Golf Professional, is a community icon at Shoreline Golf Course in Mountain View where he teaches golf lessons. One week after seeing the Dateline NBC special, “Shoreline Bill,” as he’s affectionately known, had a new student named Paul arrive for a golf lesson. During their time together, Paul mentioned that his family would be staying near Packard Children’s for the next year–Paul’s 2-year-old daughter, Hana, also needed a heart transplant.

“I believe in signs, and this seemed like a clear sign to me,” Bills recalls. “I knew then that I had to do something to help out.”

Bill decided he wanted to host a fundraiser doing what he knows best: golf. From 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bill would teach golf lessons to raise money for the Children’s Heart Center at our hospital.

“It was a long day on my feet,” Bill says, who didn't take even one break in 15 hours except to take bites of a sandwich that his wife brought him during a lesson.

But the highlight of the day? Hana and her family stopped by to surprise Bill and thank him for his selfless work.

“At the end of the day, I felt so much energy and adrenaline running, knowing that I was helping kids like Hana who are going through so much."

Thank you to Shoreline Bill for raising more than $7,500 for our patients and their families!

Have an idea for a fundraiser? Become a Champion for Children and host an event today!

For information about golf lessons, please visit Shoreline Bill's website: ShorelineBillGolf.com.