TWO BITS: Harvin’s sleep apnea, Donovan’s 9/11

By Adam Silverstein
September 10, 2010

1 » Three weeks ago, former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin collapsed on the Minnesota Vikings practice field due to complications from his chronic migraine headaches along with an adverse reaction to medication. After undergoing additional tests a week later that appeared to have found the root of his problems, Harvin was diagnosed by doctors with sleep apnea. Before his team’s season opener Thursday, Harvin explained to NBC’s Andrea Kremer that doctors noticed his heart stopped beating for 10 seconds during his hospital stay in August, which prompted them to have him tested for sleep apnea. During that test, his heart stopped beating on eight different occasions; he now uses an air regulation device while sleeping and is no longer taking any medication. Doctors believe Harvin is on the road to solving his health problems but cannot rule out a reoccurrence from time-to-time.

2 » Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan was in the middle of a recruiting trip when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York, NY, on Sept. 11, 2001. In fact, Donovan was on a plane flying into Boston, MA, when he first found out; he was subsequently grounded in Buffalo, NY, and was forced to begin a recruiting odyssey on the road after he was unable to visit his family. “It was a scary, scary time,” Donovan told UF’s Scott Carter. “In terms of country, it obviously had an incredible impact. But I think for people that grew up in New York and were born and raised on Wall Street, lower Manhattan, it’s something that will always be with us. […] When you think of lower Manhattan, if you are from New York, the two things you think of are the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. It’s amazing, even now when you fly by lower Manhattan, [the towers] are no longer there.” Read the GatorZone.com’s feature in full right here.

Extra BIT » Former Gators forward Dan Werner, who graduated from the University of Florida in August, has signed a four-year deal with Virtus Bologna, an Italian professional basketball team in the league’s Serie A division. Italy likely granted Werner dual citizenship, something he had been trying to receive for months so a club team could acquire him without using up one of their slots reserved for Americans.

Photo Credit: Unknown

2 Comments

  1. John Shanks says:

    Good news for Dan, hopefully the European game is better suited to his talents. He’s a good guy and he works hard.

  2. OldflyerG8r says:

    Best wishes to Percy. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 12 years ago, and suffered the effects for many years before. It can be extremely debilitating; I am so glad they diagnosed his situation. For a long time Medicos tended to downplay this problem.

    It is not always easy to adjust to using the CPAP equipment. I hope he perseveres through the adjustment.

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