RunningAHEAD - Topic: Ryan Shay - Dead at 28 (page 2)

Bonkin

posted: 11/8/2007 at 1:54 PM

Quote from perfesserr on 11/8/2007 at 12:32 PM:

Just saw this tribute on another forum

In.

When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

mikeymike

posted: 11/8/2007 at 2:04 PM

Quote from perfesserr on 11/8/2007 at 12:32 PM:

Just saw this tribute on another forum

Probably racing a 5K that day. I will turn myself inside out. Then I'll tack on 2.4 miles for good measure. Done.

Runners run

Dave23

posted: 11/8/2007 at 2:20 PM

I'll be in Mexico on vacation, but plan on doing 5.5 miles at sunrise on 11/7 to honour this fellow and all he's given to a sport we all hold dear.

modal

posted: 11/8/2007 at 2:27 PM

Dang.

Vim

jeremys

posted: 11/9/2007 at 10:09 AM

I'm in.

Jeremy

Mishka-old log

posted: 11/9/2007 at 11:35 AM

Lauren Fleshman, a close friend of Ryan's wife, Alicia, and a bridesmaid in their wedding wrote an incredible tribute to Ryan in her blog. Of all the things I've read about Ryan in the last week, this piece, in one place, summarizes his character the best. Definitely a great read for anyone who runs, or who doesn't, to understand what true passion for life means.

Mishka-old log

posted: 3/18/2008 at 4:32 PM

The autopsy results for Ryan Shay are being released at this very moment. The cause of death according to letsrun.com is the following: "Cardiac arrhythmia due to cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of undetermined etiology. Natural Causes." I don't quite get the medical lingo. Can anyone explain what this means?

Marcus L S

The Greatest of All Time

posted: 3/18/2008 at 4:35 PM
modified: 3/18/2008 at 4:39 PM

Quote from Mishka-old log on 3/18/2008 at 4:32 PM:

The autopsy results for Ryan Shay are being released at this very moment. The cause of death according to letsrun.com is the following: "Cardiac arrhythmia due to cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of undetermined etiology. Natural Causes." I don't quite get the medical lingo. Can anyone explain what this means?

Cardiac arrhythmia means the heart is not firing correctly, electrically speaking. Ever seen on TV when they yell "clear" and then shock the patient with the hand paddles? While this can be done to restart the heart, it can also be done to correct arrhytmias. Think of it as resetting the heart so it contracts in the proper sequence. Cardiac hypertophy means the heart was abnormally large. The patchy fibrosis speaks to a condition of the heart muscle, obviously not good. And unknown etiology simply means they cannot determine what caused it.

all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.

smitty42

posted: 3/18/2008 at 4:41 PM

http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/patient-guide-44614-6.html General information on an enlarged heart.

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

smitty42

posted: 3/18/2008 at 4:59 PM

I think this quote from the SI online article is key: "His father, Joe Shay, said previously that Ryan was diagnosed with an enlarged heart at age 14. But doctors had repeatedly cleared him for competition, because having a larger than normal heart is not unusual among elite athletes." Ventricular hypertrophy can be caused both by aerobic exercise and heart disease. Did they assume that his was caused by running? When I went for my medical exam last year, the Doctor did an EKG. Based on that, he saw my heart muscles were enlarged. His first question was "Are you athletic?" Even though I run (nowhere close to being an elite athlete), his still sent me for an echo which showed heart problems.

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

Marcus L S

The Greatest of All Time

posted: 3/18/2008 at 5:15 PM

Quote from smitty42 on 3/18/2008 at 4:59 PM:

I think this quote from the SI online article is key: "His father, Joe Shay, said previously that Ryan was diagnosed with an enlarged heart at age 14. But doctors had repeatedly cleared him for competition, because having a larger than normal heart is not unusual among elite athletes."

That really surprises me. An enlarged heart is rarely a real good thing. But are we comparing apples to apples. A large cardiac silhouette is one thing and having abnormally thick cardic muscle is something different. It's been a while since I have read medical literature relating to the heart but I remember both conditions being not good.

all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.

smitty42

posted: 3/18/2008 at 5:23 PM

"Ventricular hypertrophy is an increase in the size and mass of the involved ventricle. This can be a normal response to cardiovascular conditioning as occurs in athletes and enables the heart to pump more effectively. This type of hypertrophy is physiological, not abnormal, and is reversible. In contrast, other forms of hypertrophy are caused by the ventricle adapting to increased stress, such as chronically increased volume load (preload) or increased pressure load (afterload). This hypertrophy is an adaptation to the stress; however, prolonged stress-induced hypertrophy can lead the ventricular failure. Hypertrophy can also result from disease of the heart (valve disease, cardiomyopathies), genetic abnormalities (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), and as a consequence of coronary artery disease." http://www.cvphysiology.com/Heart%20Failure/HF009.htm

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

Marcus L S

The Greatest of All Time

posted: 3/18/2008 at 5:29 PM
modified: 3/18/2008 at 5:30 PM

Quote from smitty42 on 3/18/2008 at 5:23 PM:

"Ventricular hypertrophy is an increase in the size and mass of the involved ventricle. This can be a normal response to cardiovascular conditioning as occurs in athletes and enables the heart to pump more effectively. This type of hypertrophy is physiological, not abnormal, and is reversible. In contrast, other forms of hypertrophy are caused by the ventricle adapting to increased stress, such as chronically increased volume load (preload) or increased pressure load (afterload). This hypertrophy is an adaptation to the stress; however, prolonged stress-induced hypertrophy can lead the ventricular failure. Hypertrophy can also result from disease of the heart (valve disease, cardiomyopathies), genetic abnormalities (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), and as a consequence of coronary artery disease." http://www.cvphysiology.com/Heart%20Failure/HF009.htm

Right, but the report didn't specify ventricular hypertrophy and so I didn't assume. The heart is a weird muscle, which is pretty clear from the horrible end to this man's life. The "patchy fibrosis" is what worries me, because it's a pretty generic term that could mean a lot of things. It could have been a result of an earlier sickness.

all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be

Obesity is a disease. Yes, a disease where nothing tastes bad...except salads.

crb81

posted: 3/18/2008 at 10:15 PM

the horrible end to this man's life. I'm not sure he would agree. I can't imagine a better way to go. Call me morbid, but I bet if you told him before the race this was a possibility, he would have gone for it.

crb81 2008 goals sub-20 5k, sub-43 10k, 1:35 half, 3:20 marathon

katkelly14

posted: 3/19/2008 at 10:59 PM

this is more common than most would think. a fellow college teammate of mine died at age 25 of the same thing....scary, sad, frustrating...why??

Ryan Shay - Dead at 28 (Read 1620 times)