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SDSU players help Hanson get treated for heart attack
South Dakota State nearly lost more than a couple duals on a recent men's tennis trip.
Jackrabbits coach Don Hanson suffered a heart attack due to a 95-percent blockage in his coronary artery April 10 during a match in Fort Wayne, Ind. But the 71-year-old did more than merely survive. Thanks to the actions of his players and despite his own stubbornness, he didn't miss any action and returned to Brookings feeling better than before.
"I'm a very positive person, so the only thing that bothered me was I felt I'd let the team down," Hanson said. "But I didn't because I never missed a match. If the kids hadn't gotten me to the hospital, I probably would have died."
The coach has had a history of angina - chest pain that results when an area of the heart doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood. So he figured he was having another bout when he struggled walking to a morning match. He tried aspirin and taking it easy, but that didn't help.
Hanson then called Jacks associate athletic director Rob Peterson to let him know that he wasn't feeling well. In turn, Peterson, figuring that Hanson would not seek medical attention, got in touch with the SDSU players and told them to take the coach to the hospital by whatever means necessary.
Although their van was equipped with a GPS unit, the Jacks feigned getting lost after their Summit League match and ultimately pulled into Parkview Heart Institute, a renowned cardiac center in Fort Wayne. Within minutes, Hanson was undergoing an angioplasty.
Less than 24 hours later, he was back on the court for the last match of the road trip and feeling rejuvenated. (more)http://www.argusleader.com/article/2...0202/904210333
South Dakota State nearly lost more than a couple duals on a recent men's tennis trip.
Jackrabbits coach Don Hanson suffered a heart attack due to a 95-percent blockage in his coronary artery April 10 during a match in Fort Wayne, Ind. But the 71-year-old did more than merely survive. Thanks to the actions of his players and despite his own stubbornness, he didn't miss any action and returned to Brookings feeling better than before.
"I'm a very positive person, so the only thing that bothered me was I felt I'd let the team down," Hanson said. "But I didn't because I never missed a match. If the kids hadn't gotten me to the hospital, I probably would have died."
The coach has had a history of angina - chest pain that results when an area of the heart doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood. So he figured he was having another bout when he struggled walking to a morning match. He tried aspirin and taking it easy, but that didn't help.
Hanson then called Jacks associate athletic director Rob Peterson to let him know that he wasn't feeling well. In turn, Peterson, figuring that Hanson would not seek medical attention, got in touch with the SDSU players and told them to take the coach to the hospital by whatever means necessary.
Although their van was equipped with a GPS unit, the Jacks feigned getting lost after their Summit League match and ultimately pulled into Parkview Heart Institute, a renowned cardiac center in Fort Wayne. Within minutes, Hanson was undergoing an angioplasty.
Less than 24 hours later, he was back on the court for the last match of the road trip and feeling rejuvenated. (more)http://www.argusleader.com/article/2...0202/904210333
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