Surging Lightning are leaning inSurging Lightning are leaning in
Surging Lightning are leaning in
Day: February 23, 2017
Joburg Open: Peterson leads; play suspendedJoburg Open: Peterson leads; play suspended
Joburg Open: Peterson leads; play suspended
Rashad Jennings: ‘I’ve got a chip on my shoulder’Rashad Jennings: ‘I’ve got a chip on my shoulder’
Running back Rashad Jennings is a free agent after spending the past three seasons with the Giants. The 32-year-old is confident he can "make one GM right" about him in 2017.
Hamilton and Bottas officially unveil Mercedes W08Hamilton and Bottas officially unveil Mercedes W08
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Jutanugarn, Yang take lead at LPGA ThailandJutanugarn, Yang take lead at LPGA Thailand
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Steelers’ offseason mission: Keep offensive trio intactSteelers’ offseason mission: Keep offensive trio intact
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Pat Shurmur: Laquon Treadwell in a critical offseasonPat Shurmur: Laquon Treadwell in a critical offseason
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Caps’ Cup hopes hinge on Ovechkin, KuznetsovCaps’ Cup hopes hinge on Ovechkin, Kuznetsov
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Bohn returns to The Honda Classic one year after heart attackBohn returns to The Honda Classic one year after heart attack
On Wednesday morning of this week’s Honda Classic, Jason Bohn took the biggest step of his life. He walked into the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. A year removed from succumbing to a heart attack and being rolled into the Medical Center on a stretcher, Bohn was drawn back to the place which could well have served as the scene of his last breath. But, it wasn’t. In fact, not only did his experience there save his life, but it would become the first step into a rejuvenated life of fate’s craftsmanship. And, a year later, life is good for Bohn. Actually, it’s better than good. It’s normal. When a life gets turned upside down and dangled before an unannounced end as did his, a return to normal is both illuminating and spectacular. In the middle of last year’s second round of The Honda Classic, Bohn began experiencing chest pains and “just not feeling right.” As opposed to ignoring it as something he figured would pass, he sought medical treatment. “My symptoms were very mild I thought,” Bohn said Wednesday. “As I walked down the fairway, I had a shortness of breath, no pain or numbness in my arm. I was still able to play golf. It’s just when I was actually walking that I felt the shortness of breath. But then when I would stop and stand still and wait for my turn to be able to play, I felt very normal. And so, that’s the scariest thing about the whole situation to me was how close I might be to not waking up from a nap. I thank the Lord for sending me a little tap on the shoulder and saying, ‘hey, you need to get this checked out. You’re not doing so good.’” At the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, tests revealed a 99 percent blockage of the left anterior descending artery. Because of the intensity of such a blockage in that particular artery, a resulting heart attack is often referred to as the “widow-maker.” Bohn did not make a widow of Tewana and, for that, on Wednesday, he was back to thank Dr. Jyoti Mohanty. “He came in the emergency room here with some chest discomfort,” said Dr. Mohanty. “We decided to keep him in the hospital and proceed with a catheterization because I was very suspicious that he may have a blockage. He’s a young man with no risk factors and very athletic. So, this kind of fooled everybody. In fact, they were about to send him home when we decided to keep him and do the procedure. With a special team on Saturday, I did the angiography and found the LAD artery almost 99 percent blocked.” On what was an unusually busy Friday evening in the emergency room, Dr. Mohanty, like Bohn, erred on the side of safety. With his father now with a stabilized Bohn, all involved hunkered down for the night. “I would have done it the same day, but the day just got so wrapped up, and I’m glad he stayed, because he was not presenting any symptoms,” Dr. Mohanty said. “He looked normal. And we have a lot of admissions like that, young people who come in and have absolutely no symptoms, so they go home and are fine. He could have been one of those.” Meanwhile, the collective pulse from fellow PGA TOUR players to family, friends and media were all waiting for updates. “We had a very successful stinting and the procedure went absolutely uncomplicated, as you can see from him being back here in full shape and form,” said Dr. Mohanty. “That’s good that he was in the right time at the right place and our hospital here has been doing this for quite some time.” “Like Dr. Mohanty said, it’s the right place at the right time,” said Bohn. “I’ve been at the right place at the right time a few times in my life and this is probably the most important time that I was in the right place. So I really can’t thank the hospital and the staff enough. I’m so grateful for everybody who was involved.” Still vivid in his mind, the manner in which Dr. Mohanty talked Jason through the procedure was calming, relaxing even. He never imagined it was something he would be awake for. “It’s an amazing procedure,” Bohn said. “I remember watching the cameras and I remember Dr. Mohanty’s calming voice, just asking me questions and trying to explain to me what I might feel. That calming emotion was what I felt when I walked back in the hospital. Lying there in that procedure and going through that, was very calming and very comforting.” The measures taken by Dr. Mohanty and the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center to save Bohn’s life was critical to the saving process. But, the outpouring of support in the following days was tantamount to the healing process. “The response was unbelievable,” Bohn said of those who reached out in the ensuing days. “We all have a relationship on the PGA TOUR, but I didn’t realize how truly close the family was. From PGA TOUR staff and players to media and friends, everybody reached out, stopped by, sent flowers and gifts. In a word, it was overwhelming.” The swings and strides of PGA TOUR players appear effortless and fluid almost to a poetic degree. But, not unlike the analogy of the swan gliding across the surface of the water, there’s a lot of paddling going on underneath. Heart attacks do not stand still for style. “There are a lot of stressful situations out there,” said Bohn. “I know golf seems like a very non‑stressful game, but when you’re doing it for a living and trying to put bread on the table for your family, it does become a little bit stressful at times.” And, at this week’s Honda Classic, Bohn couldn’t resist calling out one of the more stressful scenarios. “I will tell, and I’ve told Mr. Nicklaus this; I did par the ‘Bear Trap.’ I did play the Bear Trap in even par while suffering a heart attack,. So, it’s not as hard as he thinks it is.” Not surprisingly, the past 12 months for Bohn have yielded a lot of changes, both physical and mental. While he remains adherent to a strict diet and regular medication, the most significant element to his recovery into a new lifestyle has been cardiac rehab. Not only does it educate Bohn on the heart and its functions, but it also trains his heart to function properly again. With the understanding that the heart is a muscle, he spends time spiking it while hooked to an EKG, which provides himself and doctors insight as to how his heart reacts to exercise. “I believe that one of the most difficult things, psychologically, after someone has a heart attack is the fear that it’s going to happen again,” Bohn said. “And that was me. I was so afraid, because my symptoms were so subtle that I didn’t realize it was coming. I was afraid, wondering why couldn’t this just happen again six weeks later or a year down the road.” There’s a popular notion that everything in life happens for a reason. And, while not every outcome makes that thought entirely embraceable, for Bohn, having a heart attack did indeed serve a purpose for the greater good. “Most importantly, I’m now smelling the roses all over again,” Bohn said. “So, that time in my life made me realize I need to take those moments with my wife and with my children and really absorb them, because you don’t know when it could be the end.” These days, it’s understandable that as Bohn walks on, he drums to more of a philosophical beat. “So, yeah, that was a big thing mid‑life thing,” Bohn said. “I didn’t really have a mid‑life crisis. I had a mid‑life awakening, which is a pretty good thing. This whole experience has changed my life with golf, how I look at things and manage my expectations.” As such, before he left home earlier this week, Bohn stressed to his wife his only goal this week; to stay out of the hospital. Well, that didn’t exactly pan out, as on Wednesday, he willingly marched right on into the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. This time, though, it wasn’t to have his heart saved. It was to give thanks back, most sincerely, from that saved heart.
As trade rumors swirl, George gets back to work with Pacers (Sports Betting News)As trade rumors swirl, George gets back to work with Pacers (Sports Betting News)
Paul George showed up to work Wednesday wearing the same Indiana Pacers uniform he has all season. With rumors swirling about George’s future and the NBA’s trade deadline set for 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, the four-time All-Star tried to tamp down speculation by staying focused on his current job. George could have avoided a bit of conflict if he had used those same words in an interview Friday on ESPN radio.