Young OSU fan didn't want Michigan doctors to make him Wolverine fan
10-year-old Ivan Applin was worrying about one of life's most important things when he was preparing for heart surgery at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State.
Applin, from Toledo, Ohio, is an Ohio State fan. He didn't want the device that was about to be inserted into his heart to change his loyalties.
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“He asked if the Michigan doctors were going to make his heart love University of Michigan instead of Ohio State,” his mother Jennifer said (while laughing) to the University of Michigan's health blog.
It did not. The device, called Cardioform, works like a plug to close holes in the heart. He had several holes in his heart at birth and they grew larger as he got older. He was referred to Michigan's hospital by his doctors at Toledo.
Dr. Grifka, of Mott’s Congenital Heart Center team, performed what’s called a cardiac catheterization. The procedure involved placing a small catheter into a vein in Ivan’s leg, advancing the catheter into his heart and inserting the new device.
Ivan was walking and eating later the same day and able to return home the following morning. He had no incision, stitches or blood transfusion, and will be able to return to normal activities within a few weeks.
He can't wait to get back to normal either.
“He keeps asking me to take out the calendar and show him the exact day his recovery period is officially over so he can stop resting,” Jennifer said. “He wants to make sure it’s in time for his first soccer practice.”
We're guessing the game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines on November 28 is marked on that calendar too.
For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
