5 Athletes Who Competed After a Transplant
Yahoo Sports | Carol Bengle Gilbert
In virtually any sport, there's an athlete who tested boundaries, competing despite overwhelming physical odds. Here are the stories of five athletes who played professional or Olympic sports after receiving organ transplants:
Snowboarding
In Olympic snowboarding, it's Chris Klug who amazed fans. Klug took to the slopes only two months after a liver transplant. By the four month mark, Klug had returned to the World Cup Circuit. He won a place in the Olympic games where he earned a bronze medal. All told, Klug has represented the United States in the Olympics three times, two of them after the liver transplant.
Golf
Erik Compton plays professional golf despite not one, but two, heart transplants. He underwent his first transplant at age 12, the same year he learned to play golf. It was the heart surgery that propelled the budding athlete toward golf, after his doctors advised against contact sports, Golf magazine said. Compton excelled and started touring. But donated hearts have a shelf life, the Washington Times explained, and in 2007 Compton's needed replacement after he suffered a heart attack. He received a donor heart in 2008, and within five months made the cut for another PGA tour. Compton is still going strong, having earned his 2013 PGA Tour Card last month.
Snowboarding
In Olympic snowboarding, it's Chris Klug who amazed fans. Klug took to the slopes only two months after a liver transplant. By the four month mark, Klug had returned to the World Cup Circuit. He won a place in the Olympic games where he earned a bronze medal. All told, Klug has represented the United States in the Olympics three times, two of them after the liver transplant.
Golf
Erik Compton plays professional golf despite not one, but two, heart transplants. He underwent his first transplant at age 12, the same year he learned to play golf. It was the heart surgery that propelled the budding athlete toward golf, after his doctors advised against contact sports, Golf magazine said. Compton excelled and started touring. But donated hearts have a shelf life, the Washington Times explained, and in 2007 Compton's needed replacement after he suffered a heart attack. He received a donor heart in 2008, and within five months made the cut for another PGA tour. Compton is still going strong, having earned his 2013 PGA Tour Card last month.
Basketball
Comments
Post a Comment