This weekend was our Pacific Masters Championships. It was a close battle between WCM and USF and I don't know who won at this very moment. I don't care.
You see, I left right before the 1000 today (the last event) right after the last relays. I watched some great swims today. Amazing swims. My friend Brendon swam a 2:03 200 fly and really hit his taper (as he's not going to Nationals)- we were teasing about how he does really well the week after a tapered meet. He seemed to finally figure it out this time.
My friend Stephen called me tonight and told me that Brendon also had a great 1000, was warming down, had a heart attack and died. He was 35. I was stunned. I've been crying since then trying to make sense of it all. It doesn't make sense.
I called some other friends and no one else can believe it either. Suddenly, the meet doesn't matter, swimming doesn't matter, what matters is that we lost a really great guy today. He was always so happy, funny, and loved to tell jokes. He was really good natured and fun to be around. I will miss him terribly.
Brendon seemed to be pretty healthy.
One thing I'm considering suggesting is a team "health" day where we all have screenings done for this that and the other thing (cholesterol, lipids, etc). Just so we all know we're doing all we can to be sure we're healthy.
We haven't heard from the autopsy yet so we don't know the cause of death, but I think the team would benefit using Brendon's death as a catalyst for team health screening.
I just keep thinking back to the death of Jean Durston in 2000. She had kept telling her doctor she didn't feel well. He just kept telling her it was because she was 86. Her regular doctor went on vacation and she saw his partner- he immediately did screenings on her to reveal she already had advanced ovarian cancer! She was 86, if her regular doctor had bothered to look at the beginning she could have had her ovaries out- she was 86, she didn't need 'em!!!
Brendon has renewed my comittment to preventive health care.
Brendon seemed to be pretty healthy.
One thing I'm considering suggesting is a team "health" day where we all have screenings done for this that and the other thing (cholesterol, lipids, etc). Just so we all know we're doing all we can to be sure we're healthy.
We haven't heard from the autopsy yet so we don't know the cause of death, but I think the team would benefit using Brendon's death as a catalyst for team health screening.
I just keep thinking back to the death of Jean Durston in 2000. She had kept telling her doctor she didn't feel well. He just kept telling her it was because she was 86. Her regular doctor went on vacation and she saw his partner- he immediately did screenings on her to reveal she already had advanced ovarian cancer! She was 86, if her regular doctor had bothered to look at the beginning she could have had her ovaries out- she was 86, she didn't need 'em!!!
Brendon has renewed my comittment to preventive health care.
