Did Patrick Mahomes prolong the Chiefs’ agony by playing through his ankle pain? | Opinion

Wise trade-off?

Modern medicine is a two-edged sword. It can cure what ails you and, in some instances, can compound what hurts you. In the case of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, playing in the second half of the Super Bowl was the latter. Despite outward indications, his injury worsened.

After a tackle in the first half aggravated a high ankle injury, our favorite son hobbled into the locker room for halftime. In a 20-30-minute span, all was well — or was it? Patrick trotted onto the field in virtually full stride to guide our Chiefs to a victory, securing another championship ring.

Placed in a to-play-or-not-to-play position, Mahomes made a choice all of us would have made. Love for the game and competitive spirit are driving forces that override what may be in your best physical interests.

No pain, no gain — and there was a lot to gain. Modern medicine was at work camouflaging a worsening injury. There was a price to pay as witnessed by Mahomes’ lengthy, ongoing recovery process. (April 19, 7B, “Mahomes admits his right ankle is still not 100% healthy”)

Long-term effects might have been avoided, but that’s a chance our Chiefs would be wise to avoid taking in the future.

- Mike George, Springfield

Still waiting

President Joe Biden previously indicated that if elected, “We’re gonna cure cancer.”

I would like an update on his progress.

- Frank Green, Kansas City

That’s a leader

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly deserves the award for vetoing culture-war nonsense put forth by the folks on the right who thrive in their partisan rabbit hole. (April 24, 1A, “KS Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes string of anti-trans legislation”)

Kansas is a bright red state with commonsense leadership at the helm. We should be very thankful for her and her courage.

- Brian Casey, Kansas City

Happy return

Welcome home, Melinda Henneberger. Your commentary about Christopher Lyman was not just a tragic story about a man unjustly convicted of killing his nephew. It was another example of how you pull a reader into the heart and mind of the person you are writing about. (April 21, 1A, “Evidence: Baby died of pneumonia; will vet be retried anyway?”)

I cannot stop thinking about the triple horror of Lyman’s grieving for the boy, being held responsible for his death and then being wrongfully incarcerated.

I will continue to be touched profoundly by your writing now that you have returned to The Kansas City Star.

- SuEllen Fried, Prairie Village

Signs of spring

Grass is green, tulips are in bloom, birds are chirping, the weather is still chilly and windy — and the Royals are firmly entrenched in last place.

Must be late April in Kansas City.

- John Ferraro, Overland Park

Our freedoms

On Aug. 2, 2022, I proudly joined the overwhelming majority of voters and protected our right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution. This should have sent state Rep. Laura Williams a clear message: Kansans do not want politicians intruding in health care decisions best left between a patient and doctor.

Our elected lawmakers in Topeka have ignored the resounding message voters sent just eight months ago and passed numerous bills in the regular legislative session attacking reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. This dangerous political interference would force doctors to lie to patients, ban minors from accessing gender-affirming care and compromise patient care and safety.

One of the most shocking is H.B. 2264, which would require doctors to provide patients with controversial information about so-called “abortion pill reversal,” despite reputable medical organizations such as the American Medical Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agreeing that medication abortion “reversal” is not supported by science.

As a Kansan and a voter, I’m outraged that our lawmakers are imposing misinformation and cruel attacks on patients and health care providers, transgender youth and the LGBTQ+ community.

I strongly urge Rep. Williams to respect the will of her constituents and uphold the governor’s vetoes of these dangerous bills.

- Ashley Huey, Lenexa