**********************************************************************
Spritzer sends out heartfelt thank you
By Budd Bailey
August 09, 2009, 6:21 AM
Sam Spritzer’s summer has been as serious as a heart attack
Actually, it featured a heart attack.
The 55-year-old from Williamsville had a heart episode at the end of June. Considering that Spritzer may be as visible a runner as there is in Western New York, someone who seems to say hello to everyone lining up to run in a given race, it is safe to say that the news provided a shock to many. After all, runners are suppose to be in such good shape that they can’t suffer from such ailments.
“I never really ever thought I was having or would ever have a heart attack,” Spritzer said. “I mean, come on—I am an athlete. No pain, no gain!”
Spritzer’s story begins with a typical workout with his fellow members of the Checkers A. C. at Crosby Field in Kenmore.
“I was warming up with Rich Meyers when I felt out of breath,” he said. “Thinking nothing of it, I started doing the workout but after doing one lap I was completely out of breath. Coach [Vicki] Mitchell came over to me and asked if I was OK.”
Mitchell, a track and cross country coach at UB who runs the Checkers’ workouts, had noticed that Spritzer was not his usual energetic self. “I asked how his workout was going, and he said it was too hard, he was breathing too hard, and [the] pace was too hard,” she said. “Normally, Sam is at the front of his pace group—so the fact that the pace was too hard indicated that something was ‘off,’ and that he should stop the workout. Again, Sam’s usually a very energetic guy and kidding around a lot—he was not that night. That was the key.”
Still, Spritzer didn’t do anything out of the ordinary after the workout.
“I attended the Checkers board meeting and in customary fashion—as [club president] Tom Donnelly says, ‘That’s par for Sam’—I woofed down pizza and wings,” he said. “Other than feeling tired since it was hot and humid, I didn’t feel anything different.”
But later that night, Spritzer woke up with a really bad case of “indigestion.” It wasn’t much of a decision to head for the hospital.
“Decision? As if I had a choice? Laying on the floor in the bathroom, IVs in both arms, paddles ready, street filled with police cars, volunteer cars, one rescue truck and an ambulance in the driveway plus a screaming hysterical wife?” he asked.
“I had to have an angiogram to determine the cause. Once it was determined to be a complete blockage of the right rear artery, it was decided that two stents would be sufficient as opposed to bypass surgery.”
Spritzer was told by his doctor to be more careful in the future. Runners have been known to try to run through pain in workouts and races, and sometimes that forces them to miss or ignore warning signs.
Still, things could have been a lot worse.
“Absolutely!” he responded. “There is no doubt in my mind that even considering my family history, the running and working out was a major factor in minimizing the damage.”
Spritzer was forced to take only a few weeks off. He has started working with trainer Pat LaDuca in order to make a full recovery in his running program.
Spritzer isn’t sure when his next race is—perhaps in as few as 10 days—but he believes the actual return will be “a triumph of sorts.”
The popular runner already knows the benefits of medical technology. He was born deaf and received cochlear implants in 2007 and 2008 to enjoy most of the same type of hearing that everyone else has. This time in particular, Spritzer seems to be running with a renewed sense of perspective.
“I am thankful for the opportunity of a second chance,” he said. “Life is a precious commodity. One should never take it for granted. Always listen to your body.
“I cannot tell you how much I truly appreciate the support of the Western New York running community. The thoughts and prayers have been phenomenal and everyone is like an extended family of mine. From the bottom of my repaired heart, I thank them all!”