In other sort of Bears...but not really news. Most Bears fans know the name of tight end, Greg Olsen. Most were also upset that he was traded to the Carolina Panthers at the beginning of last season.
Well, he and his wife are expecting the arrival of twins today. Sadly all is not good news. The twins are a boy and a girl, and while the girl is perfectly healthy, the boy has a very serious heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. From my understanding, basically it means that the left side of his heart didn't develop. Without intervention, the rest of his heart would give out in just a few days after being born. Thankfully they found out ahead of time and are prepared for it (at least as prepared as they can be).
They've gotten a lot of support from the Panthers and the community and especially owner Jerry Richardson. In fact he's been so extraordinarily supportive that they're honoring him by naming their son Trent Jerry (TJ). I've also heard that Olsen has been in contact with Charles Tillman whose own daughter underwent a heart transplant at a young age.
Basically TJ is going to undergo a series of 3 surgeries to correct the heart defect. The first will be very shortly after he is born. The survival rate for babies who make it past the first surgery ok is about 75%, but it's never been done on a twin. To some people that may sound like a good statistic, to some it may sound grim. To quote Dr. Cox from Scrubs, "Statistics mean nothing to the individual." I can't imagine what that family is going through right now, and I wish the Olsen family nothing but the best. I hope little TJ pulls through.
Here is a video that explains the situation in a little more detail.
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