NORFOLK, Va. – Things have been difficult for Beau Cowan during his 39 years on earth. He was born two months premature, and an accident at birth – the placenta burst and he was without oxygen for five minutes – paralyzed much of his body and cosigned him to life in a wheelchair.
It left him with spastic cerebral palsy. His right arm is paralyzed, and his legs hardly function.
"I have to work 20 times harder than the average person to do anything," he said. "But I'm lucky to be alive."
Then, in 2021, he hit a huge speed bump. A pump that sends medicine to his spine failed. Then his appendix burst and the catheter he must wear at all times also failed. There were several surgeries and a ton of complications.
For a seven-month period, from March 17 through Oct. 17, there were just 21 days when he wasn't in a hospital or a rehabilitation facility. He was often in pain, and in fact, deals with pain every day.
"But it was worse" during those seven months, he said.
Depression, something he's dealt with most of his life, worsened as the days became weeks became months.
Only one thing kept him going through that terrible ordeal, he said – Old Dominion University baseball.
"ODU baseball saved my life," he said.
The 2021 ODU baseball season was one that players and fans dream about having. The Monarchs finished 44-16, won their first Conference USA title, were seeded first in an NCAA Regional and just missed going to a Super Regional. The Monarchs dropped two games to Virginia, including a 4-3, 10-inning, heartbreaking defeat to Virginia in the final.
ODU (38-15) is seeking to begin a repeat of that run beginning Wednesday morning at 10 when the Monarchs take on Middle Tennessee in the C-USA Tournament at Southern Miss.
Cowan watched every game on TV last season and often texted and called ODU players and coaches during their memorable run.
"They gave me something to look forward to," he said.
"When I'm at the baseball field with the guys, all my troubles go away."
His relationship with the team began on a hot spring day in 2016 when he was between classes and bored. So, he headed over to the Bud Metheny Ballpark to watch the Monarchs practice.
He began talking with some players, who called coach Chris Finwood over to meet him.
Finwood liked Cowan right away. "He was very knowledgeable about the game," he said. "And he wasn't afraid to speak up."
He invited Cowan to watch practice or games anytime, and Cowan took him up on that.
"I'm not sure he expected to see me again," Cowan said. "But I was there the next day."
And hundreds of days since. He tries to make as many practices as he can and attends nearly every home game. During pregame he watches batting practice and circulates among players, all of whom know him by name.
He often sits near the ODU bullpen and thus is not visible to many fans. But even if you can't see him, you can sure hear him. He makes a lot of noise during games.
He generally has to leave mid-game because his body can only take so much.
"I take a lot of prescription drugs, a lot of anti-depressants," he said. "I'm not where I should be physically and it's very frustrating.
"I tell people being in a wheelchair is harder mentally than it is physically. I can take a pain pill for physical pain. I can take pills for anxiety and depression. But there is no pill that's going to allow me to walk.
"Before this last surgery, I could crawl and get to the wheelchair by myself, get in bed by myself. And now I can't.
"As I got older, my body twisted in all kinds of places."
Yet he largely remains upbeat.
Shortstop Tommy Bell, a fifth-year senior, said he met Cowan on his recruiting trip to ODU and is amazed at how positive Cowan is about life.
"Beau's just one of those guys not afraid to say hello to everybody," Bell said. "He's really just a great presence to have around. With everything he's been through, he maintains that positive outlook on life. It's something that really gives us that feeling you can take life for granted."
Finwood often asks Cowan talk to the team to let them know that no matter how badly injuries are hurting you, no matter how bad a day you've had, Cowan would trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Bell has been struggling with injuries all season, including a knee injury that occurred when he was hit by a pitch early this season that just won't heal.
"Finny told me, 'Beau would do anything to be out there,'" Bell said. "I've had a lot of injuries but when I see Beau, I realize how fortunate I am.
"Beau really enjoys the life he has. When he's out there screaming and yelling, it's so cool to see.
"I know he wishes his life was normal. But he's accepted that it's not."
Earlier this season, Cowan began to take a more prominent role for ODU baseball. Finwood asked him to co-host the Extra Finnings Podcast, the coach's popular, weekly podcast posted on odusports.com
"I thought this was only a one-time deal," Cowan said. "But when we were done, Finny says, 'see you next week.'
"I was shocked but glad to do it. It's been a lot of fun."
Finwood grew emotional when told Cowan said ODU baseball saved his life.
"That's very gracious," Finwood said. "We tried to be there for him because we knew he needed us.
"We knew he had a tough time during the pandemic as well. He couldn't go anywhere. So, we reached out to him as much as we could.
"But save his life? I think the good Lord had a lot more to do with that than us."
It wasn't just ODU baseball that boosted Cowan's spirits during his hospitalizations and the Covid lockdown, when he was forced to remain home.
Cowan has been eating at Perfectly Frank, a restaurant in the Monarch Way development near Chartway Arena, for nearly a decade..
Covid prevented him from enjoying his favorite lunch, which he also missed while being hospitalized.
He had developed a close relationship with Tarah Jeanne Morris, owner of Perfectly Frank, and she began delivering food to him, both during the pandemic and during his hospitalization.
"He's such a sweet boy," Tarah said. "He came here for a while before I started chatting with him. I noticed he would always come in with such a positive attitude and try to make people laugh.
"We continued to get to know he other and he began calling me his ODU Mom. One day he rolled in and said, 'Hi Mom,' and someone asked me if he was my kid.
"He's so funny and he's not afraid to poke fun at himself."
He called her during the pandemic and said how much he missed eating there. So, she started delivering meals to him in Chesapeake and took her eight-year-old son, Roman, with her. She continued to deliver food when he was hospitalized and in rehab.
"He became buddies with my son," she said. "We sponsored Beau for Christmas last year and dropped off donated gift cards. He faced time a lot during Covid with Roman, who just loves Beau.
"Beau has had a rough couple of years. It was so hard on him when he was in rehab."
Now that he's able to, he eats at Perfectly Frank before every ODU baseball game.
"ODU has had a big impact on Beau," Tarah said. "But he's also made a big impact on everyone he knows here. I know how much he loves the baseball team. The coaches and players have done so much to help him."
He's also making an impact online. Cowan has a prominent presence on Facebook, where he has more than 1,500 followers and mixes inspirational messages and some corny humor. He has thousands more followers on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok.
Just below a photo of a duck, he wrote on Facebook: "Being in a wheelchair isn't all it's quacked up to be, but I do the best I can on a daily basis and you should too!!!"
He posted a two-year old video showing him crawling along the floor, something, he noted, that he can no longer do.
"Even though my life is hard every day I wake up I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to spend another day on this Earth. I think you should be too!!!!"
Most of his posts end with the quote: "Dominate the Day!"
"His social media presence is really cool," Bell said. "You can tell that in spite of what he's going through, he enjoys life as much as he can."
Cowan is trying to carve out a career as a motivational speaker. He's spoken to some local high schools and amateur baseball teams and did a speaking engagement in Florida. His message is always the same: make the best of life no matter what your circumstances.
Cowan lives with his mother, Carol Cowan, whom, he said, "did a hell of a job raising me basically by herself." A nurses' aid helps both he and his mom at home.
Every summer, Finwood meets Cowan at a Starbucks in Chesapeake just to keep in touch. Then, in September, when the Monarchs begin playing fall ball, Cowan is again out at the Bud.
Cowan was emotional a week and a half ago when ODU played its final home game of the season.
"When the season is over, I don't want a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl," he said. "I want baseball back.
"I go to Hampton this summer to see some of my boys play (for the Peninsula Pilots)."
But between now and then, there's a ton of baseball to be played.
"I think they've got a good shot at repeating what they did last year," Cowan said. "They've won seven in a row. And they're scoring a lot of runs against everybody."
Even while they are playing in Mississippi, Cowan is never far from the minds of the Monarchs.
"We value him and we love him," Finwood said. "He's a part of our program.
"Beau has had a very positive influence on our kids. I hope we've been half as helpful to him."
Minium: Although he's in a Wheelchair, Beau Cowan Stands Tall in the Eyes of ODU Baseball Players
