Owen Ragsdale is 10 years old and has been receiving treatment at Sanford Children’s for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, a rare childhood hip disorder that occurs when the blood supply to the ball of the hip joint is temporarily lost.
In his case, it caused his hip joint to lose its shape, making surgery the best option. He now has six screws and a plate in his right hip – he hopes to have them removed this summer – and he has undergone physical therapy twice a week for more than two years.
This disease has limited his mobility and at one point included more than a year in a wheelchair. To say it has slowed him down, however, would not be anywhere close to what is going on.
The 2026 Sanford Children’s Hospital Ambassador, now back on his feet and attending St. Thomas School in Madison, South Dakota, used his wheelchair era to impress friends in the neighborhood with his stunts.
His core message seemed to be this: Don’t pity me. Pity the wheelchair.
“As soon as Owen got home with that wheelchair, the first day he was diagnosed, he’s like, ‘I got to go around the block and show it to my friends, you know?’” his father, Chance Ragsdale, remembers. “That’s been his attitude toward all of this.”
Tearing up the town
In second grade, Owen, who was playing football, baseball and also wrestling, developed a limp. At Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, it was diagnosed that he had Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease and his hip was deteriorating. Eventually that led to surgery and a lot of changes for Owen, Chance, his mom, Katie, and their two other sons.
“They said they were going to get it fixed,” Owen said. “It was a disease and it might last a year. I was kind of sad. I was trying to make sure no one else was sad about it because a lot of people are sad and they say their prayers for me.”
Owen returned with his own prayers on their behalf and made resilience part of a personal game plan.
The Ragsdales live at the bottom of a hill in their neighborhood in Madison. In time, Owen learned he could push his chair to the top of the hill and reward himself with a thrilling ride down the other side.
“At the bottom he’d slam on the brakes of the wheelchair to see the black marks on the sidewalk,” Chance said. “He tipped over a few times. … We went through a few wheelchairs.”
Owen continued to challenge his chair. He learned to pop wheelies and entertained a few wedding receptions with the way he could maneuver it around the dance floor.
“In some ways I miss it,” Owen said. “In the yearbooks I was in the wheelchair in almost every photo. Now I can walk, which is good, but I realize I miss doing wheelies and getting my teachers mad at me.”
Owen was joking – something he is pretty good at – with the ultimate message being that he has no interest in getting bogged down in what some would view as overwhelming circumstances.
When September gets here
The Sanford International names a new Sanford Children’s Hospital Ambassador every year. This ambassador represents the Sanford Children’s Hospital at Sanford International events leading up to the tournament. Eventually it will include conversations and autographs with the players the week of the International.
Owen is the 10th Sanford Children’s Hospital Ambassador, joining Jaxon and Jeren Scheff (2018), Avery Hill (2019), Ben Wieman (2020), Cobey DeSchepper (2021), Sam Matheson (2022), Landyn Keiser (2023), Holly Huntimer (2024) and Emmett Zorr (2025).
In the minutes prior to start of the tournament, Owen will hit the opening tee shot at Minnehaha Country Club on Sept. 11, 2026, and be a part of a ceremony that includes a flyover from F-16s from the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard.
The connection between Sanford Health, the Tour Champions golf tournament and the military has always been strong. The fact that this year the first round coincides with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is impossible to ignore.
This is particularly true for Owen’s father, who enlisted as a junior in high school three months prior to 9/11. He went on to serve full-time in the Army National Guard with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. His grandfather served in the military and his father was in the Vietnam War.
“I’m third generation in joining the military, and my sons and my wife have always been very supportive of my military career, so it’s really humbling just to be part of this with Owen,” Chance said. “For it to be part of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is a pretty big deal. It’s a day that has been a part of my entire military career and what it represents.”
How Sanford helps in healing
Owen continues with the physical therapy and visits with Dr. Jared Daniel, his pediatric surgeon at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, once every two months. The good-natured grit that came with his time in the wheelchair is still there as he continues to heal with help from his team at Sanford Children’s.
“Sanford has been just super transparent throughout the whole process,” Chance said. “The nurses and doctors at Sanford Children’s Hospital – they’ve always been, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing.’ It’s been pretty incredible when I think about it – it’s like being part of a family.”
Owen, who will have access to golf lessons from Sanford Sports throughout the summer, is now paying more attention to the sport. As ambassador, he will be well-equipped going into his big day with golf gear and clothing. More importantly, he’ll be representing other children who have had to deal with similarly challenging health issues.
For Chance and Katie, seeing their active son wrestle with this disease has sometimes been difficult. Those times have been easier to endure with help from Owen, who makes the most out of just about everything.
“He’s just so resilient and so happy. He really never lets anything shut him down and he doesn’t take no for an answer,” Chance said. “He’ll just go with something until he gets it. The first day we came home with the wheelchair we saw our youngest boy – a really active kid who is friends with everybody and in all the sports – who is now confined to a wheelchair. Mentally, that’s tough. Katie and I had a few nights where we knew it was going to be a challenge in how we were going to do this.”
They have been witnesses to a son with a rare disease who is combating it with rare resilience. When you’re in tough spots and have something in your head that is not doing you any good, Owen said he would tell others, just do your best to get it out of there.
“Sometimes when I don’t want to remember something, I’ll pray to God to ask him to delete it from my brain,” Owen said. “And it usually works.”
Learn more
- Children’s Hospital Ambassador has ‘try anything’ spirit
- Sweet treats lead to big impact on Miracle Treat Day
- Medicine and imagination meet at Sanford Children’s Hospital
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Posted In Children's, Foundation, Golf, Sanford International, Sanford Sports, Sioux Falls
