As adjustments are made between the two fighters in the final moments leading up to the fight,
focus becomes clear as to what months of preparation will bring in hope to hold the belt high.
Take to a department, unity to a force. The taste of victory does not come from a score,
from the smiles on the faces in need.
This is Beyond the Badge.
With seven days until fight night, both camps begin to slow down to give the fighters time
to rest and reflect on the training they have endured, as well as the reason they have let
this grueling process take a toll on their body, the children.
Five years ago, guns and hoses came to Evansville, promoted by police officer Patton for Nevin.
The fire that fueled the drive to bring this charitable event to southern Indiana is more
than a cause, it's Mickey.
Kind of the reason for the whole thing comes out into Mickey, and that's our 15 year old
daughter, Mickey, I called her McKenna before, she goes by Mickey, and Mickey has Prader
Willie syndrome, and Prader Willie syndrome is a disease that leaves the person afflicted
with it, constantly hungry, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter how much food
she would ever have, she will always be hungry, and it even goes beyond that, it's almost
like an obsession with food, the double edged sword to that disease is that folks with it
are also, they gain weight at twice the rate of a normal person, their metabolism is about
half the speed of a normal person, so top of being hungry all the time, you also gain
weight extremely fast, so she's on a very strict diet, she's been on this diet since
she was three years old, she gets 1200 calories a day, I'm 6'4", 220 a guy, my size that's
a snack, but for Mickey that's life, it's three meals a day that are 300 calories each,
three snacks at 100 calories each, and that's it.
Watching my brother officer struggle as he has, it's been disheartening for many of us
and to see the many efforts he's put into trying to find a solution to this problem
has been very motivating for many of us.
So one of the most frightening things as parents is what's going to happen to my special
needs child after I'm gone, which has been what has driven us to build these group homes
in the area, and by God, one way or the other, there will be group homes here before we're
done, but it's because of the men and sometimes women that are willing to step in the ring
after day after day doing a job that they endanger their lives anyway, and take it one
step further and step it in there, pretty incredible, and I can't even tell you how
grateful that my family is to these guys and these girls that are willing to do that for
us, do that for Mickey.
When the lights cover the ring on the evening of April 21st, Mickey might seem out of place
sitting next to her dad.
Mickey on flight night likes to torment me by rooting for the fireman.
I think she partly does it just to get to me, but she also is absolutely in love with
one of their fighters, and that's Rob Butterbean Ralph.
Probably only one person out there that could probably destroy my big tough man image and
get away with it, and that's definitely Mickey Farnett.
She calls me her big beautiful being, and I'll tell you what, it touches me definitely
right where it means the most, because she's just a phenomenal young lady.
Everybody of course has issues and problems that they deal with on their own level.
This young lady's issues and things that she deals with on a day-to-day basis are exceptional,
and over and above, and she tackles them in a way with such a genuine drive and love.
She's always got smile on her face, always got something positive to say.
The first time they met, you could just see the connection between the two of them.
This great big burly tattooed guy and this little bitty handicap girl, and it was really
something to behold, and Rob will tell you, and he's told me this before, that she inspires
him, and that's pretty cool.
She calls him her big beautiful being, and on fight night that may be not the mentality
that he's going into it with, but boy, she stands up and cheers for him.
Don't get me wrong, she still knows some of the policemen and still cheers for the ones
she knows, and she wants them all to win, but boy, when Rob's in the ring, she just
loves him to death.
There's always kind of a special little moment that we get together, of course, when the
arena's kind of empty, and I get a chance to sit down and give her a little talk, and
she gives me a pep talk, and I get me a hug, a pre-fight hug, so it definitely gets me
fired up and focused on fight night.
In support of the officers and firemen, family immediate and extended grow closer over the
upcoming week.
When it comes to Bean's family, support is strong throughout the eight children, but
as anchored through his wife's passion to accept this journey, Bean has taken.
I feel nervous, excited, a lot of emotions, just my heart going for him, knowing that
he's going to get out there and get in that ring, you know, and then also I think about
if he's going to get hurt, you know, and of course they do, you know, you know, a little
bruised up, but I mean, you're used, I can't say that I get used to it because it's something
that it's new, each year it's new because it's someone different, it's him getting
out there and just want him to come out okay.
As Bean might be away from the family during 24-hour shifts or training at the gym, Paula
holds down the fort, watching over the energetic family.
I would definitely say that mama here is my rock, you know, if it wasn't for the support
of her and the kids, you know, I definitely wouldn't be able to do what it is that I do.
You know, I joke with people all the time, you know, I would gladly run into a burning
building and switch jobs with my wife, you know, running a household with eight kids,
you know, eight different personalities, cooking, cleaning, laundry, doctor's appointments,
I'll tell you what, you know, she's one of a kind.
Support in Bean's life comes from a strong group of family members, whereas in Rob's
life, he finds an equal amount of support from his smaller-sized family consisting
of two daughters and his wife.
You know, every year I ask my wife if she minds or cares if I participate in guns and
hoses and every year she's very supportive of me, she encourages me to do it.
It's a lot of time away from home, a lot of time away from family, I have two beautiful
daughters, one's 24 and one's four, or will soon be four.
So it's tough being away as much as I am, not being able to see my daughter and spend
time with her like I want.
But it's only about four or five months of real sacrifice, I would say.
That's the time I really start training hard.
I try to train all year, but four or five months before the fight is when I really pour
it on.
And my wife has always been encouraging the supporter, so I'm very appreciative for that.
While Bean and his family of ten prepare for a family dinner before heading to their son's
high school basketball banquet, Rob and his extended family of fellow officers sit down
and refuel during a busy evening on duty.
I think I have two sets of heroes, and you might be expecting me to say one's police
and one's firemen, but really I group those two together.
They do things that most people wouldn't do, running into a burning building, that's not
normal.
Going toward the sound of gunshots, it's not normal either.
And throughout the years I've done some of those things, you know, I've been on the SWAT
team and I've had people tell me, uh, wow, you, you know, you went in a, you crawled
into an attic at three in the morning after a guy with a gun that had killed somebody.
You're brave.
You're a hero.
Uh-uh.
It's not how I see it.
Because when you see a kid in a wheelchair or in a bed that can't even talk, or like
in Mickey's case that is hungry every night of her life, or knows that they're different,
but yet still gets up every day and goes to school and tries their best to be normal and
their best to fit in, that's the real heroes.
And what I do, or what any of these guys do, and they'll tell you the same thing, it's
nothing compared to that.
This is just a job we do and that's their life.
So they're the real heroes and, uh, and these guys that get in the ring and throw punches
at each other are doing it for this, for the right reasons.
With a journey close to reaching its horizon, each fighter's date with destiny becomes inevitable.
Sparring sessions in each camp come to a close.
Sparring becomes more technical in hopes to gain insight on correcting flaws.
Each breath means that much more as each step gets the fighters that much closer to the
ring.
The endless days of determination seek pay off.
Each fighter will step into the ring with a department behind them as they fight for
a title.
There is one week until the fight.
