BEHIND THE PLAY #39

Odd BTP this time and not just because the title is the name of a Hip song. Not a lot of soccer in this one but what there is in the bottom half if you prefer to scroll.

This is a reflective week for me.

Two years ago on October 10th I had a heart attack. I stuck something on my Twitter account about it at the time but I’ve included it below. It ties in with what has been and will continue to be my annual call for people to get their cholesterol checked. Doesn’t matter how fit you are or how well you eat, you could, like me, have a congenital issue with the stuff.

Also, five years ago, on October 12th, my mom passed away. It was my first real experience with grief and in the aftermath I wrote something about it on my Monday Morning Centreback blog. I took it down but have opened it up again up with some minor updates like taking out my family members’ names.

I’ve had many people say it helped them deal with grief and or the impending death of a loved one. You can read it here: Gales, lulls, tears and texts.

I’ll keep it up until the end of the month.

Throw in that Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip passed away on October 17 and it’s a bit of a bummer week (for me anyways). Watching the outstanding documentary, No Dress Rehearsal, is what really dragged me into this contemplative state for this newsletter. It’s on Amazon Prime. Watch it even if you’re not a Hip fan. It’s an expertly put together meditation on not just the band but loss, grief, male friendship, group dynamics, the creative process, how and why this country became so attached to their music and the ideas around what they meant to us collectively.

Did manage to work a little bit of soccer content in at the end though. Regularly scheduled programming will resume shortly. :)

Had a heart attack _{^{(written October 2022; updated slightly for this newsletter)}}

I had a heart attack last Monday. The most important thing I can say about that is: get your cholesterol checked. Even if your diet is decent and you’re in good shape, some, like me, have familial hypercholesterolemia which means your cholesterol issue is genetic in a not good at all way. 

Wanna know what a heart attack is like? It hurts. Quite a lot. This is amplified by the fact you don’t know how much more painful it will get and if it’s going to kill you or not. Thinking about that makes it hard to stay calm and that then makes breathing even harder than and this is a very important time to both be calm and breathe. I was lucky in that when the warnings I’d had in the days prior turned to a full-on heart attack my wife was with me and we were 10 mins from hospital.

The Emergency room at UBC Hospital was packed but when you walk up and say, “I think I’m having a heart attack” the curtain is literally pulled back and you are taken in and seated instantly. They ask 2-3 questions and then get you to a bed. From there, you are on an ECG and an anti-clotting IV drip in minutes. It’s stunning. This coincided with the worst of my chest pain. I don’t know how long it lasted. I just retreated entirely into trying to focus on my breathing and not passing out which I came very close to doing soon after arriving at the hospital.

Blood was drawn, tests were done and because UBC is not set up for cardiac issues, I was sent via ambulance with two paramedics and a nurse to VGH. They are more than set up for cardiac events and I was put in the Cardiac Intensive Care unit.

At this point I’d like to remind you to get your cholesterol checked.

Tons of questions, monitoring and blood samples every six hours before my angiogram the next day. This showed a 100% blockage of the largest artery so angioplasty followed immediately. I have never seen a more futuristic medical facility and procedure than this. It was very 2001: A Space Odyssey. And yes I know it’s odd to reference a movie set over 20 years ago to convey something futuristic.

The two procedures were completed in under 30 minutes. I can’t think of any other medical procedure that can so quickly and effectively bring you back from something as serious as a heart attack and leave you feeling completely normal and cured as they roll you out and back to your room. Actually had a ten minute conversation in the hallway outside the operating theatre with a soccer parent friend who works at the hospital while we waited in the hall for my updated chart. Good catch up just minutes after having a stent shoved up my arm and into my heart. Best part is you get to watch it all on flat screen TV that must be at least 100”.

I was monitored overnight and went home Wednesday morning. 

The common complaint about our health care system is the wait times. Yes they happen and are frustrating. But if you have a very real and pressing medical issue, in my experience and for several people that I know well, the care is phenomenal. All medical staff at UBC and VGH were incredibly professional and knowledgeable. Without naming names and without any exaggeration, I know I had the best heart surgeon in Canada working on me. I knew this already but other doctors and nurses noted it to me as well. I must’ve interacted with 15-20 health professionals in the two days I was in those hospitals; not one was less than excellent at their jobs and in their understanding of what patients are going through.

Is life normal now as I write this six days later? Well, I have to take seven pills a day for the next year, going down to five after that and eventually two but those two will be for the rest of my life. That sucks. I don’t like taking pills. But my wife has just asked me to replace a light bulb hanging from the ceiling in a precarious spot and insisted on getting to pick the music when we were in the car coming home from the hospital so, yeah, the pity party was short and its back to normal life for the most part.

Am I different person having had a heart attack?* It’s early but with time on my hands, having taken some time off work, yes, I think you become highly reflective and begin questioning what your priorities have been. I am very lucky.

Get your cholesterol checked.

^{*Two year update - yes, I am a different person. Not massively, but definitely changed. I’m also pleased to say several people have let me know they did go get their cholesterol checked and one was found to have the same condition I have. He’s dealing with that. Best part was that I passed a rushed physical stress test that then allowed me to get on the plane to Qatar and watch Canada play in the World Cup.}

Text. Context. Subtext.

I’ve done this bit before. It’s really just a deconstruction of what I think are interesting or pertinent quotes about the game. This one is from Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President, on the number of games players are now expected to play.

Here’s the “Text”.

Context: Ceferin was the one who fought off the clubs’ attempt to break away from their domestic leagues and the Champions League to for a Super League. He was lauded for his strength there and seemed aligned with supporters who loudly made it clear they didn’t want their clubs participating. It was of course a bit self-serving as UEFA stood to lose an incredible amount of money should their Champions League be carved apart and left as a carcass. Now, having made concessions to the clubs threatening to break away, they will generate more income having added more games to Champions League.

Subtext: Saying the top players in the world are the only ones complaining and talking about going on strike is embarrassing nonsense. It’s the top players, playing on Europe’s best clubs, that are being asked/told to play in an expanded Champions League, a new Club World Cup and an expanded 48 team World Cup. Last I checked those lower level club players with the lower salaries aren’t the ones that UEFA and FIFA are asking to play up to 80 games a year. This was a really disappointing stance taken by Ceferin not just in supporting the idea of what the fixture schedule has become but telling the players they shouldn’t complain because they make a lot of money. It will be interesting to compare career longevity a decade from now to see what long term effect the amount of games top players are expected to play has on the length of time they’re able to play at the highest level. Bottom line: those most responsible for the organization and administration of the game have allowed the business side to dilute their responsibilities regarding player welfare and safety.

Kit post #3

Have to say this may be my most cherished piece. Got a load of Brazil kit when my U19 Canada team was staying in the same hotel as the U19 Brazil team we were playing in a tournament in Acapulco. This is the only piece I have left from those swaps.