Oregon sociology professor Ken Liberman – a short man whose veiny forearms give credence to a compact 142-pound frame that has been chiseled into pure granite – sat cross-legged in a chair in his office when he mentioned that he had papers to grade.
Reaching back to grab the thick stack of assignments, the 58-year-old turned and smiled.
What was a prime opportunity for a professor of 24 years to show just how laborious teaching can be was simply a reminder to Liberman that he will be surfing on the Florence Jetty this weekend, where he will grade the rest of the papers between riding waves.
Lately, Liberman has gleaned enjoyment out of just about everything he does because doing anything means he is still alive.
“Every day is a gift,” Liberman said.
Liberman’s take on life has evolved since he overcame a life-threatening case of bacterial endocarditis and persevered through two surgeries to teach – and to compete as a weightlifter – again.
Liberman’s invigorating perspective came to life after he accepted death on Dec. 28, 2005. Running a 103-degree temperature that refused to drop, Liberman gave what he thought was his final good-bye to his son in a hospital bed at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., as bacteria terrorized his body.
“I was ready to die,” Liberman said. “I told my son, ‘This thing has got to end. And it might end up with me dying.’”
Liberman underwent aortic valve replacement surgery in December of 1999 and survived a second heart valve replacement surgery on Jan. 15, 2006. The bacteria that snuck into his body after he cut his gums while flossing infected the pig valve that was originally installed in his chest. It was eventually replaced with a cow valve.
Before the surgery, Liberman was hospitalized and pumped full of intravenous antibiotics that battled the bacteria in his blood stream for three weeks. Then doctors operated to resolve the life-threatening case.
Liberman can’t help but feel like every day is a gift now. That’s why he refuses to use the cell phone his brother gave him and why he skateboards to class and hikes with his students in the spring.
“I’m happy all the time,” Liberman said. “It’s pretty amazing. I’m just glad to be alive.”
But in September of 2005, Liberman was exhausted and unable to think clearly. His immune system was fighting something that was slowly killing him.
Miraculously, Liberman managed to live with the bacterial endocarditis for more than three months in the fall of 2005.
“I was sleeping 12 to 13 hours a day and I knew something was wrong because I had this cough about two times a minute and that went on for three months,” Liberman said. “My heart went into atrial fibrillation, which means all the electronics were off … I was coughing to get the blood out of my lungs.”
Liberman eventually had a stroke.
Doctors diagnosed Liberman with whooping cough, but Liberman said no one suspected it to be a heart problem because the bacteria was fairly benign and there was no fever. He consulted a cardiologist in La Jolla, Calif., around Dec. 12, 2005.
Liberman gave doctors a bacteria sample on Dec. 16, which they put in a test tube and examined for five days. Just like how long it took to grow in him, the bacteria took time to grow in the test tube. Doctors waited another five days and could not find anything wrong in Liberman’s system.
On Dec. 25, Liberman was driving with his son from Los Angeles to Mexico as his fever boiled to 103 degrees. Liberman told his son he felt like he might die.
Liberman stopped to see his doctor, who told him he had been trying to get a hold of him for the past 24 hours.
“If I hadn’t have stopped, I would have gone to Mexico and died.”
But Liberman survived.
One of his first post-operation memories is of waking up and hearing a soap opera that a nurse was watching. And another memory? Hearing that his hospital bill was $230,000 before insurance.
After six weeks of intravenously administered antibiotic treatments following the surgery, Liberman returned to Eugene on Sept. 17, 2006.
The practicing Buddhist celebrated a healthy arrival to Oregon by participating in the Ironman Natural Bodybuilding Championships that was held in Portland recently. He took second in the Master’s Division, which is for men over 50 years of age.
Liberman regained his strength and rebuilt his body using five-pound weights. Considering he was once able to bench press double his weight 12 years ago, he said he felt embarrassed at times when some of his students saw him lifting smaller weights at the Student Recreation Center.
What Liberman began noticing, however, was that he was actually seeing some of the best results of his life by using lighter weights.
“I learned to first locate the muscle, then to concentrate on the muscle and hyper-contract each repetition,” Liberman said. “So I was able in the end to build a better body than I had before when I was using huge weights.”
Soon enough, Liberman realized that participating in a bodybuilding competition was not too far out of reach. He thought it would be a fun incentive for him to keep going to the gym as well.
In Portland, Liberman wowed the seven judges enough to earn more points than the other finalists; however, the highest and lowest scores from the judges are always dropped, which left him tied for first. He and another competitor participated in a pose-down to decide a winner.
“I don’t know how to pose very well,” Liberman said. “So the other guy was much better at it and they gave it to him and I got second. The guy came up to me and said he thought he didn’t have a chance. In his view, I should have won. I didn’t mind at all. I was tickled pink.”
In 2003, Liberman won a bodybuilding competition in the Master’s Division.
Liberman hopes to compete in another competition when he hits 60. Until then, he will continue to teach both in and outside of the classroom. He’s offering Interaction and Social Order (Sociology 335) during the second summer term, when he also plans to work out at the Rec Center a few times per week. If students ask him for advice in the gym, he may tell them to take five pounds off whatever they are lifting. He might also mention his three C’s: consistency, caution and concentration.
Liberman’s been passing on his knowledge to just about everyone.
“I told my 83-year-old Tibetan teacher that I recommend dying to everybody,” Liberman said.