With a sturdy 6-foot-4 frame, Kennedy senior Cody Bell towers over his older brother Chris, looking every bit the multi-sport athlete who has made his mark in both baseball and golf. But it’s Chris, he’ll tell you, who is the strong one.

“Chris has taught me a lot,” Cody says. “He’s really helped me with the mental aspect of my life, as well as the physical. I feel if he stays that strong, there’s no way I shouldn’t be happy with the way my life is going.”

Four years Cody’s senior, Chris was diagnosed at age three-and-a-half with a degenerative disease called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), which causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues, gradually restricting movement.

It’s a disease so rare – affecting only 1 in 10 million people – that it was first misdiagnosed as cancer before University of Iowa physicians were able to identify the cause of the lump that had formed on Chris’ shoulder. Shortly after the devastating diagnosis, Cody was born.

The boys’ parents, Jim and Nancy Bell, began learning about FOP and threw themselves into efforts to raise funds for research into the disease. Creating an event called Angel Wings Golf and BBQ, they raised an astounding $180,000 through five tournaments.

“We had a lot of help from family and friends,” recalls Nancy. “We would fill 36 foursomes and have a waitlist.” After that, she says, “we retired the event to focus on raising the boys.”

Both boys loved sports from an early age, playing in summer leagues, on school teams and – as Chris’ disease made it more difficult and dangerous for him to compete – in the sanctuary of the Bells’ backyard. Because trauma spurs the disabling bone growth that defines FOP, his physical contact had to be limited.

“He played a lot with Cody and his buddies. He would just adapt to every sport, and they all knew the rules,” says Nancy.

“My friends are really good with him and like him a lot,” adds Cody.

It would be hard not to. Afflicted with a debilitating disease that few people have even heard of, Chris faces life with stunning serenity.

“There are times when I get down or a little depressed,” he admits. “But I realized that God has a path for everybody, and this is my path. I’m definitely not going to let FOP beat me. It’s kind of like a sport, and this is a lifetime game for me.”

There are no therapies or treatment for FOP, says Nancy. “Just keep him active – but that’s never been a problem for him.”

Staying in the game

Chris played on the Kennedy golf team through his junior year, when one of his knees became locked, making it difficult for him to walk. But in a tight-knit family whose life revolves around playing and watching sports, that wasn’t enough to keep him away from athletics.

Today Chris is a manager and statistician for the Kennedy boys basketball team and runs the scoreboard for the home baseball games. Not surprisingly, Cody plays on both teams.

In baseball, Cody was a second-team all-district first baseman who sported a .374 batting average this past summer, providing plenty of highlights for his older brother.

“It’s really fun to watch and I’m definitely proud of him,” says Chris. “He has played with a lot of the guys since he was nine or 10, and I kind of grew up around them.”

Cody’s current focus is golf, where he is among the leaders on a team tabbed for third in the latest state 4A rankings. He finished fourth in last year’s state meet and is currently ranked eighth in the state with a 36.53 scoring average.

Two years after his disability put an end to his high school golf career, Chris picked up a golf club again for the first time during a family golf outing. His love for the game was rekindled, and he adapted once again, learning to play golf with one knee completely immobile.

He, Jim and Nancy play every Sunday, sometimes joined by Cody. While the younger brother can outplay his dad, it’s a toss-up between Jim and Chris, who recently shot even par on the front nine at Saddleback Ridge in Solon.

“When people watch him hit it off the tee, they’re just amazed – and then they cheer,” says his mother.

A sense of purpose

This past spring Chris graduated cum laude from Mount Mercy University with a degree in finance. He works part-time at F&M Bank, where his father is senior vice president of commercial banking, and keeps a close eye on his brother’s activities.

“God made me handicapped for a reason,” he says. "I tend to look at things I can do rather than things I can’t do. FOP makes me think about things I can do for others instead of focusing on myself.”

It’s an example Cody has taken to heart. “I do believe God made (Chris) for this because he’s one of the few kids in the world strong enough to deal with this disease mentally and physically and ultimately beat it.”

This year Cody and his friend Mitch Martin, a fellow Kennedy golfer, raised money for the FOP Foundation by collecting empty print cartridges from offices and libraries at schools around the Metro area. In two weeks, they raised $800, and the effort continues.

“It feels cool knowing he’s caring for me like that,” says Chris, with an ever-ready smile that squeezes out pure joy.

“They’re pretty tight,” says Nancy of her sons. “We’re just really proud of them. Cody tries hard and takes advantage of his strengths, and so does Chris. They both work hard at everything they do.”

(To contribute ink cartridges to the Bells’ fundraising project for FOP research, contact Nancy Bell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)