I've been on a 2 year journey with hidden twists and turns. it has taken a full 2 years for me put all the pieces in line. We are all unique. we may think we have normal lives but many of us do not. I was a sportscaster. I've been one since 1976 when I was in college radio. Many, many stories have happened since then. 1989 was my last year, so I thought.
Small markets were my home, but my family and a move back home to Atlanta came as we built a home and I switched to a sales career.
The sports media world did not go away though. My old college sports director, Kevin Barnes made a freelance career and he found out I was back in town. So throughout the 90s I would back him up if he had too much to do. The Atlanta Braves were very busy and kept many of us on the move as well. Once I covered 3 events in one night. UGA basketball at Gwinnett Arena, Atlanta Hawks post as well as Atlanta Falcons locker room. That was crazy.
Fast Forward to 2 years ago. May of 2011. The Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semi- Finals. I had credentials for all 3 Atlanta games as I was the reporter for a small Chicago Radio station. 3 basketball games but these were more than games, as it turned out. This turned out to be about the game of life.
ESPN RADIO caught wind that I was there and wanted postgame interviews also. So I became very busy with all the activity.
Before game 4, I was in the press lounge getting stats , pre game paper work and getting a bite to eat. I saw a friendly TV reporter and we had a nice conversation. That's what I did in a much smaller market as he was based in Chicago. He said how the business had changed so much because of twitter and facebook. He never had any downtime. So that was it. We both had work to do. I did not get his name. I just knew he was the top guy and the NBC owned and operated station. So I got my interviews and ESPN was happy.
Did a weekend talk show with the Chicago station and all was well.
You will be able to put the pieces together now before I tell you. I had a full time job also, so I was not at Phillips arena all day like everyone else. Hundreds of people were in town for this event, from tv crews, sports truck crews, media from all the networks and many affiliates from the Chicagoland area and the southeast. Many trucks were here with different call letters.
I had heard rumblings that someone died. did not know who, what level or what happened. I just heard pockets of information from many groups throughout the press areas, the ushers. I knew it wasn't anyone local in Atlanta. Someone from Chicago.
I was seated in the auxiliary press box which was at the top of the venue. Not the best seats, but you have monitors to help you see the action. A large picture of the deceases media person was placed on the big screen, but I could not see from my angle. Not that I was uncaring, but I did not know the man.
The game went on and Chicago found a way to beat Atlanta for a 4 games to 2 series victory.
ESPN wanted Coach Tom Thibadeau and Derrick Rose - the NBA MVP Guard. I got the coach but Rose was unavailable to the quick bus loading , which turned out to be falsehood as Carlos Boozer game me a great interview right by the bus which was not moving, Boozer also gave great insight on the Hawks needs.
This story is far from over. My work was dome but the story is really just now beginning. A few days later,
I'm eating breakfast at Waffle House, I go to pay at the register and I did something I had never done before. I looked at a stack of old newspapers and there was the article that changed my life forever.
The article on the dead sportscaster with his picture. Daryl Hawks was his name. 38 year old family man who had it all. A sports anchor in the 3rd largest market. He was the man I spoke withe before game 4. Doctors did not know what killed him. he was found dead in his hotel room at 9:30 am after he did not answer a wake up call.
I was stunned. I was crying in my car as I read the article over and over. I went
to my church and talked to my pastor. Why him? Why not me I asked. I'm a 52 year old nobody who had a shot. He was only 38 with everything. My priest consoled me and said not to think that way. Use him for inspiration he said.
pressure
It made me think. I wasn't doing well at my job as it was 100 % commission with zero expenses paid. So I decided to sell cars again and went back to my old Acura dealership where I had been successful before.
My health had been in trouble since 2008 and I was out of work all of 2009. I had a perpetual dizzy issue and saw several doctors who call guessed at reasons. My Blood pressure had been high for some time. Yet no one could seem to stabilize my BP even with medicine. I was also without insurance and that never helps.
The very day I went to see a doctor for my high BP, I had a stroke later in the day and was rushed via ambulance to the hospital.
Trust me, Daryl Hawks will re-enter this story. So I am in ER 3 times total in October and I am screamed at by a PA for trying to manage my BP via ER when they were the ones who told me to come in.
My father is 91 and I was taking him to see his cardiologist at Emory Hospital. Dr. Clements is world renowned is the head of cardiology at this hospital and has an excellent bedside manner.
For Christmas of 2012, my wife decided to put me on her insurance plan. There is another back story here
which would take too long to explain, but she basically saved my life as you will see. This would not take effect until after the first of the new year, 2013.
After an appointment it was decided to give me a stress test. I've had these before but Dr. Clements went all out and did a CT scan before and after. Something didn't match up. More tests showed blocked arteries.
I went in for stints. Turned out the blockages were not 70% but 90% each !! I was experiencing a great deal of work stress when I had my stroke and I'm sure the blocked arteries did not help.
I'm feeling better now and what about Daryl Hawks? I kept his article and wondered what his autopsy ever concluded. So just a few days ago, I looked on the internet. The conclusion was he died from a heart attack due to hypertension. Oh my God . That could have been me!! Is that our connection?
So my message is this. Get a stress test like I had. I'm not a doctor but so many people may be walking around with clogged arteries and not even know it. It only took me 4 year and 11 doctors to find my issue.
We had a young career family man die at my gym due to 100% blocked arteries and one at 80%. He looked fit. Looks can be deceiving. Look how many young athletes die on the field from an odd heart beat or something. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Age does not matter. God has a plan. One of my old friends read my posts on Facebook. He ended up having a triple bypass.
Please get checked. Many love you. Maybe more than you know.
Thank you Daryl Hawks. I'm so glad we spoke. Rest in peace.
