Post by FIUBlue82 on May 17, 2007 7:07:44 GMT -5
www.miamiherald.com/588/story/109483.html
FIU BASEBALL | CHRIS DUNN
FIU's Dunn will 'never forget' life-threatening ordeal
Chris Dunn wears a tattoo over a surgical scar that reads 'Never
Forget' to remind him how close he came to death and how important baseball is to his life.
BY PETE PELEGRIN
ppelegrin@MiamiHerald.com
As center fielder Chris Dunn's Florida International baseball career comes to a close, he is enjoying a memorable season.
But just four years ago, Dunn, 23, went through an ordeal he will ``never forget.''
At the beginning of his freshman season at Central Arizona Community College, Dunn experienced strong stiffness in his right forearm and biceps after lifting weights.
At first, he thought it was normal postworkout stiffness, but his right arm remained swollen.
Dunn's trainer and then the specialists he saw couldn't figure out the problem.
Finally, Dr. Richard Sanders, a Denver-based specialist, discovered Dunn had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which is associated with athletes that use an overhead throwing motion.
TOS consists of a group of disorders that affect the nerves that pass into the arms from the neck and various nerves and blood vessels between the base of the neck and armpit, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
''I had never heard of it before,'' said Dunn, now a senior. ``But I thought I'll just get it taken care of and be back playing baseball soon.''
Sanders found an eight-inch blood clot around the right shoulder and performed surgery just under Dunn's right armpit on March 8, 2003, which coincidentally, was Dunn's birthday.
Part of Dunn's first rib was removed to clear the blockage. Dunn was then given blood thinners to help eliminate the clot. But his body rejected the thinners.
When Dunn's parents Lynnette and Chris Sr. got to the hospital, Dunn had been taken to the intensive care unit because of bleeding inside his chest cavity.
He was ''pale white,'' Lynnette Dunn recalled.
The medical staff gave Dunn anesthesia, but could not wait for it to take effect.
'All I remember was the doctors telling me, `Hold the nurse's hand, because we don't have time to wait for the anesthesia to start working,' '' Dunn recalled.
Doctors made a half-inch incision into the upper right side of Dunn's torso and inserted tubes to clean out the blood, which ultimately saved his life.
''We were told to stand outside the room and I just heard a grunt coming from Chris,'' Lynnette said. ``When we walked in there after the procedure, there was blood all over the doctors and all over the floor.''
Dunn spent 21 days in the hospital and lost 25 pounds, dropping to 170. When he finally got home, walking became a chore.
''The doctors told us Chris wouldn't play baseball again,'' Chris Sr. said. ``But Chris decided he was not going to let this beat him.''
Dunn received a medical redshirt that year and transferred to FIU.
He got a tattoo down the right side of his torso just under the scar from the second incision. The body art reads, ``Never Forget.''
''My biggest concern then was about not being able to play baseball again,'' Dunn said. ``It didn't hit me until later that could have been the end of my life.''
After three checkups in the past two years, Dunn has been told he's fully recovered. His numbers this season attest to that.
Dunn is second on the team in hitting (.386) and second in home runs (six). He leads FIU in stolen bases and slugging percentage.
Dunn's teammates not only admire his baseball prowess, but his tenacity.
''I know it was real serious what he had to battle,'' left fielder James McOwen said. ``It's pretty awesome to see him have the success he's had. He's a real tough guy.''
FIU BASEBALL | CHRIS DUNN
FIU's Dunn will 'never forget' life-threatening ordeal
Chris Dunn wears a tattoo over a surgical scar that reads 'Never
Forget' to remind him how close he came to death and how important baseball is to his life.
BY PETE PELEGRIN
ppelegrin@MiamiHerald.com
As center fielder Chris Dunn's Florida International baseball career comes to a close, he is enjoying a memorable season.
But just four years ago, Dunn, 23, went through an ordeal he will ``never forget.''
At the beginning of his freshman season at Central Arizona Community College, Dunn experienced strong stiffness in his right forearm and biceps after lifting weights.
At first, he thought it was normal postworkout stiffness, but his right arm remained swollen.
Dunn's trainer and then the specialists he saw couldn't figure out the problem.
Finally, Dr. Richard Sanders, a Denver-based specialist, discovered Dunn had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which is associated with athletes that use an overhead throwing motion.
TOS consists of a group of disorders that affect the nerves that pass into the arms from the neck and various nerves and blood vessels between the base of the neck and armpit, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
''I had never heard of it before,'' said Dunn, now a senior. ``But I thought I'll just get it taken care of and be back playing baseball soon.''
Sanders found an eight-inch blood clot around the right shoulder and performed surgery just under Dunn's right armpit on March 8, 2003, which coincidentally, was Dunn's birthday.
Part of Dunn's first rib was removed to clear the blockage. Dunn was then given blood thinners to help eliminate the clot. But his body rejected the thinners.
When Dunn's parents Lynnette and Chris Sr. got to the hospital, Dunn had been taken to the intensive care unit because of bleeding inside his chest cavity.
He was ''pale white,'' Lynnette Dunn recalled.
The medical staff gave Dunn anesthesia, but could not wait for it to take effect.
'All I remember was the doctors telling me, `Hold the nurse's hand, because we don't have time to wait for the anesthesia to start working,' '' Dunn recalled.
Doctors made a half-inch incision into the upper right side of Dunn's torso and inserted tubes to clean out the blood, which ultimately saved his life.
''We were told to stand outside the room and I just heard a grunt coming from Chris,'' Lynnette said. ``When we walked in there after the procedure, there was blood all over the doctors and all over the floor.''
Dunn spent 21 days in the hospital and lost 25 pounds, dropping to 170. When he finally got home, walking became a chore.
''The doctors told us Chris wouldn't play baseball again,'' Chris Sr. said. ``But Chris decided he was not going to let this beat him.''
Dunn received a medical redshirt that year and transferred to FIU.
He got a tattoo down the right side of his torso just under the scar from the second incision. The body art reads, ``Never Forget.''
''My biggest concern then was about not being able to play baseball again,'' Dunn said. ``It didn't hit me until later that could have been the end of my life.''
After three checkups in the past two years, Dunn has been told he's fully recovered. His numbers this season attest to that.
Dunn is second on the team in hitting (.386) and second in home runs (six). He leads FIU in stolen bases and slugging percentage.
Dunn's teammates not only admire his baseball prowess, but his tenacity.
''I know it was real serious what he had to battle,'' left fielder James McOwen said. ``It's pretty awesome to see him have the success he's had. He's a real tough guy.''