08/16/2023
Please read. Started when he was 50. Heart surgery. Champion in every aspect. Inspirational.
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We would like to share a great story by USMS member Tim Shutes:
I swim with the Palm Beach Masters. I’ve entered only a handful of meets in my years with masters swimming, but I was looking forward to swimming at summer nationals.
I had a stent in a coronary artery two years ago and did quite well for 18 months. Things began to become difficult, requiring longer rest intervals between sets. In May, I saw my cardiologist. He scheduled a stress test with nuclear imaging. I mastered the treadmill portion but failed the imaging. My heart wasn’t getting enough blood.
On May 8, the Cardiac cath was unsuccessful. My LAD (widow maker), and right coronary artery were completely blocked. Two other arteries were 90% blocked.
May 10, I had quadruple bypass surgery.
Summer Nationals was exactly 12 weeks after open heart surgery. I only swam my first-ever long course 50 fly the Saturday prior at a swim practice.
I wasn’t allowed to use my arms for swimming until four weeks ago. I've lost about 50% of my upper body strength. I risk making a fool of myself, but training for this meet has motivated me.
I’m grateful to my coach Linda Bostic for taking a chance on me and putting me in several relays. I’ll try not to let her or my team down.
After competing at Summer Nationals, I don't know how to express my gratitude to my head coach, Linda Irish Bostic, the USMS Coach of the Year for 2022!
Linda took a chance on me by putting me on relay teams, uncertain whether I could even complete a 50m butterfly.
I don't know if she realizes what it means to me. She trusted me. She wanted me to succeed! This was both my greatest motivation and greatest fear going into the meet: don't let Linda and the PB Masters program down.
Following my individual 50 fly, Linda ran over to me (after chastising me for not using the ladder to get out of the pool, she was concerned I would injure my still-healing chest). She hugged me and told me she was proud of me!
My wife was proud of me. I was pleased with my accomplishment, but Coach Linda was proud of me! That meant more to me than anything.
Not having been a swimmer until I turned 50, this entire experience of competing in Summer Nationals has boosted my self-confidence in the water. It has motivated me to learn how to improve my strokes, my efficiency in the water, and my speed.
My final thought revolves around the importance of swimming. If it weren't for swimming, I would not have noticed subtle changes in my cardiovascular system. I would surely not be among the living today had I not mentioned those changes to my cardiologist and had he not acted on them.
To my fellow Masters swimmers, I urge two things: First, listen to your body and believe what it's telling you. Secondly, if you suspect something is amiss, do not be satisfied with passing a treadmill stress test. Insist on more in-depth imaging in addition to the stress test. My cardiologist told me I "won the day" of all the treadmill tests done that day. The nuclear imaging told another story. And that was where this story began.
