LINEBACKER ADAM BIGHILL GIVES BACK TO CHILDREN
Linebacker with a big heart helping others deal with facial differences by talking about them
Deep down, Adam Bighill knew he had plenty to give in life, but first he had to look at himself in the mirror. What he saw is something that took years for some people to overcome.
What the outside world will see again is a two-time all-star linebacker with relentless drive, one who will try to help the B.C. Lions mark their return to B.C. Place with a win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders (7 p.m., TSN, TSN 1040).
There will, however, be others who see Bighill in a cruel light because of the bilateral cleft lip and palate that became a part of his life at birth. Yet it is those same facial features that are reshaping the 26-year-old as he starts his fifth CFL season, armed now with a cause that is every bit as important to him as a Grey Cup win.
Having by chance discovered a charity with B.C. roots created to help people overcome similar facial differences, Bighill has rediscovered a fight that first began while he was growing up in small-town Montesano, Wash.
“This is the story that people don’t know about me,” he said.
The birth defects became apparent, Bighill said, upon entering grade school, where growing up had its challenges. Bighill was an only child, raised by his father after his mom died of a heart attack when he was 15 in a town with a population of less than 5,000.
Athletics and a big chip on his shoulder got him through tough times. Bighill had his share of fights because of his facial features, but unlike many kids he made friends because he was one of the most gifted athletes in town.
“I shut so many people up. There were a couple of altercations, but once you put a couple of kids down, it stops. My dad never had a problem with me defending myself,” he said. “At the same time you have confidence issues because you know you look different. People stare at you.
“I remember asking my dad ‘Why am I like this?’ The way he explained it to me was that ‘God gave you this challenge, but He gave you extreme athletic ability.’ So I firmly believed in that. This helped shaped me and who I am.”
Bighill’s work ethic played to his advantage collegiately at Central Washington before his 2011 arrival to the Lions, where it rubs off daily on just about everyone else.
“Adam truly loves to work,” teammate Solomon Elimimian said. “Sometimes we make fun of Adam because he over-extends his help. We call him Coach Adam. The side you don’t see is that he’s so violent on the field, yet off the field he’s always trying to help somebody.”
And having established himself among the league’s playing hierarchy, Bighill has begun looking for ways to use his football notoriety to bring attention to the biggest issue he had faced since birth.
A connection with personal trainer Rob Williams, a former Province fitness columnist, turned Bighill into a spokesman for Making Faces, a Toronto-based charity whose founder, Michael Williams-Stark, was once diagnosed with the worst bilateral cleft lip palette in B.C.
“I remember seeing him on TV in an interview and saying ‘He’s a brother,’” said Williams-Stark, a renowned voice-over actor who grew up a Lions fan while living in New Westminster.
A connection was made because Williamsand Bighill share a belief that the best way to help others through the obstacles associated with facial differences is to talk about them.
Bighill can certainly still express himself with a scowl, which represented his response to the work of the Lions’ defence in an opening-week loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
“Since I’ve been here, our communication level and execution of the game plan had never been worse,” he said. “Even though they didn’t put up 500 yards on us, we couldn’t get off the field.”
But the mention of Making Faces can re-establish a smile because to Bighill it is a story he wants to share with those who face similar hurdles.
By any definition, Bighill is a perfect role model. Not only did he establish a football career, he also established a life in the Lower Mainland. Bighill married former collegiate golfer Kristina Gargaro last year and this fall the couple will have their first child.
“I think my story will resonate with kids. I didn’t know that before,” Bighill said. “You just want them not to feel like you felt. If we can give them the tools, help them make eye contact, communicate, you can unlock the hidden potential they have.
“I was born like this, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do whatever I want.”
In many ways, the linebacker with a huge heart is also the face of courage.