Shaun White: From Open Heart Surgery to Olympic Hero

I'm reposting a recent news article which I think is relevant to our industry, not only because it's about Heart Surgery and a famous person, Olympic Gold Medal winner, Shaun White... but because that makes me think of all the people in perfusion who make a difference every day. What makes Shaun White excel in his field are the very same things that are common among excellent perfusionists who assist in open heart surgeries every day... It's commitment and passion. Shaun White practices his sport every day with commitment. He falls down, he gets up and tries again. The desire for perfection is a passion. In our profession, perfection is a passion as well.

I found this article inspiring.... and thought you might, too.


Shaun White: From Open Heart Surgery to Olympic Hero
Posted at Globalgrind.com

When you are born with congenital heart failure the odds are stacked against you. No one would expect you to be a superstar athlete, and any thoughts of being an Olympic winner are dismal. Yet, snow boarder Shaun White has proven that he can be that and more.

White was born with a congenital heart defect called tetralogy of fallot, in which the heart has four abnormalities. Within his first year of life White had undergone two open heart surgeries. It was a mere five years later that he stepped foot on a snow board and found his calling. From ages 6 to 12 White racked up snow and skate boarding trophies all over California, eventually going pro at the age of 13. Not only is White the first two time Olympic gold medalist in his sport he was also the first person to compete in the 2003 Summer and Winter X games.

It seems that for Shaun, his heart condition as a child hasn’t stood in the way of something he was destined to do. In actuality it’s just a tiny part of what makes him the success he is today.

After wining his second gold White was interviewed by Oprah and said of his accomplishments:

“It brings me back to all the kinds of strange times, because when my parents first got introduced to snow boarding and I started snow boarding there were no Olympics, no X games, no money or anything in the sport, they just basically knew I had a talent and went for it.” White goes on to say “I had some heart conditions when I was first born so going from that struggle to now letting me go out there and do all these things...you put a dream in front of somebody and your so young and it just seems so close and I said I can do this and I just took every step towards it.”

Beyond his heart defect what Shaun White has is tenacity, “I’ve just always had this fight since I can’t even remember,” said White in an interview with 60 Minutes. If there is anything fans can learn from White is that passion and commitment fuel your dreams. Despite any road blocks on your path to success there are tools that motivate you as a person to make goals for yourself and reach them. Shaun White shows commitment and dedication for his sport but most of all he shows his great love for it. Who else owns their own half pipe so that they can continuously practice and come up with new tricks- Shaun White does, thats who.

For someone with such great accolades, White is humble and there is reason to believe some of that humbleness comes from the fact that he knows how lucky he is. White may have been born with a heat defect but even more he was born with the talent that has over shadowed his health condition. This flying tomato will surely continue to make himself a house hold name, all while following his dreams.