What sociology Professor Ken Liberman has done by rehabilitating himself after heart surgery is nothing short of phenomenal.
Just three years ago, he had his aortic valve replaced with a pig valve. Earlier this month, he won a body building competition.
When the Hollywood, Calif., native e-mailed me two weeks ago with the above information, I immediately became interested in his situation. I was intrigued by what he had done.
I was intrigued because I also know what it’s like to have to face a situation like his. Almost two years ago, I underwent a similar procedure. The only major difference between his surgery and mine is that I was able to keep my valve by having Gortex — yes, the material that is used in jackets — patched into my valve.
It will be two years on Dec. 7 since my surgery. While Liberman underwent his procedure in Eugene, I did mine at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.
Where it was done, though, means little. Regardless of where a patient resides for that long and mentally draining week, the after-effects of the procedure are always intense. That’s what makes Liberman’s story so impressive; it’s so amazing that only individuals who are driven by an intense drive to succeed can do what he did.
Ideally, his situation puts sports into perspective.
He also puts life into perspective.
Liberman had to have his surgery, literally, on the fly. He had some time beforehand where he knew he was going to go under the knife, but preparing for heart surgery is realistically impossible. Your mind tells you that you’re going to be OK, but your hands shake and knees buckle as your arrive at the hospital on that fateful day.
The after-effects of the surgery are just as tough. Sitting in the hospital for a week can be hard on anyone, but with all of the things that come with the surgery, doubts start sitting in your mind. You become worried that any movement will re-injure your healing chest, and painkillers help alleviate the pain but put you into a mental haze.
Immediately upon returning home, you feel revived and energetic. But having the ability to get up and get motivated when every natural movement hurts for a little while is one of the toughest things to do in life.
Liberman’s accomplishment is accentuated when these factors are considered.
What amazed me most about Liberman was the fact that he had come to grips with death. He told me that his doctor once asked him how he felt.
This was his response: “I’m probably going to survive, but I’ve got to tell you, I’m ready to die.’”
Liberman put life into perspective with that response. Everything that seems so important takes a back seat in his situation.
That’s where the athletic world comes in. I’m not going to lie and say that athletics shouldn’t play an important role in society. I’m more guilty than anyone in becoming encased in the plays on the field. Sporting events are a big part of my life.
But it is those that can knock sports down a peg — make the games a minuscule part of life, sometimes — who really have everything figured out. When it comes right down to it, whether or not Oregon defeats Washington on Saturday will make no difference eight months from now when seniors graduate and move into the real world.
That’s why it’s hard sometimes to see letters to the editor in various newspapers and magazines that criticize players and coaching staffs. It’s one thing to say that someone needs to try harder on the field, but in all honesty, if that player is leaving his or her heart on the field, there shouldn’t be anything to say.
Calling for a coach’s head when the team is playing with spirit is uncalled for. But again, to put everything into perspective, when that coach or player isn’t trying their best, what’s the point? Games and practices are too short to take a lazy attitude.
It’s too bad that a bum heart can make some people see the true value in life.
Sometimes, it’s a blessing in disguise.