I had to reblog this. Great piece about never giving up. Must read (not only for soccer fans)!

Fabrice Muamba ‘in effect’ dead for 78 minutes; Thierry Henry flies 5,000 miles to visit him

-by Brooks Peck (Yahoo!Sports: Dirty Tackle)

If there was somehow any doubt as to just how impressive the efforts to save Bolton's 23-year-old defender Fabrice Muamba after he collapsed on the pitch from a cardiac arrest during Saturday's FA Cup quarterfinal against Tottenham, the latest details to emerge should clear it up.

Muamba's heart stopped beating on its own for a total of 78 minutes on Saturday, according to Bolton team doctor Jonathan Tobin. During the 48 minutes between the time of his collapse on the pitch and when he arrived at the hospital (he was taken to the London Chest Hospital, a specialist facility), medics did CPR to breathe for him and circulate, and continued to do so for another 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital. During that time, he was given 15 shocks from a defibrillator -- two on the pitch, one in the tunnel and 12 in the ambulance -- before his heart started beating on its own again.

From the AP:

"They were working on him without his heart having a muscular beat," Tobin said. "In effect, he was dead in that time … throughout the whole resuscitation period you are worrying.

"You know the longer the resuscitation goes on the less chance there is of survival, but this is slightly different. This is a very fit 23-year-old."

Fitness and age considered, the fact that he is still alive is also a credit to the hard work of those stadium medics, ambulance workers and hospital staff. One of the first responders wasn't even on duty that day, though. Dr. Andrew Deaner, a cardiologist, was attending the match as a Tottenham fan andpersuaded a steward to let him onto the pitch before running to aid Muamba. He then traveled with Muamba in the ambulance to the hospital where he works.

Muamba came out of sedation in intensive care on Monday and the first question he reportedly asked his father was "did we lose?" With Dr. Deaner, Muamba displayed his modesty.

"Two hours after (regaining consciousness) I whispered in his ear, 'What's your name?' and he, 'Fabrice Muamba.' I said, 'I hear you're a really good footballer' and he said, 'I try.' I had a tear in my eye."

On Wednesday, Muamba was visited by New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry. The two played together at Arsenal and have remained friends, so Henry traveled almost 5,000 miles from a match in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday night to London to visit Muamba for about an hour before returning to New York for this Sunday's match against Colorado.

It's still unclear just what caused the cardiac arrest, and though Muamba seems to be recovering nicely, it's impossible to say whether he will ever be able to resume his career. But as The Score's Richard Whittall says, what truly matters is that he's alive right now and seems to be in good spirits.

Dylan Thomas

one of the best..

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Every Night

the formatting here is all wrong! reading my poem in class tomorrow (yikes!) . . .

Every night, every lonely pensive night

I wander aimlessly in my sensory modalities

The trees with leaves hanging low and sad

Shivering from the cold, merciless wind

Bodies creased, dull and weeping sap

Roots emerging, expanding

Reaching for something else

Have you not seen a sadder setting

Flowers, twisted at the neck

No sun in their presence, don’t know where to look

Frail and thin, no support in their ascending stem

Petals fall and rot, consumed by the crawlers of the night

The stars, distant and lost in space

Away from me, out of my reach

Surrounded by the ill night

Mere specks in the sky; appearing at night, lonely nights

Pulsing, agreeing with my laments

Have you not seen a sadder setting

The moon, the mightiest in the sky

But the loneliest in my eye, no love can match its size

Merely a poignant reminder of the time that has passed me

Moonlight reflects on me

And I feel its sorrow and lonesomeness

My heart is intertwined with this dark natural setting


I do not understand what's in the night
That speaks ever so romantically to some


The mysterious sounds of the night

The creature’s hoot for his distant lover

The beast’s cry for his distant companion

Oh the howling wilderness

Prompting a feeling in me so familiar, one of love

But, love reminds me of yesterday

And I lament more, and more, and more

Have you not seen a sadder setting

Nature, I feel your longing too

I have lost my light too soon

The ineluctable night creeps and does its deed

Prompting feelings one thought he had lost

No, I have not seen a sadder setting

Books!

Highly recommend!

The reader can find him/herself  relating to the main character throughout the book. The journey of realizing one's true destiny becomes the ultimate goal, and the reader can find this to be a self-help book, one that helps them realize their own legend.  Easy book to read with a wonderful and magical plot about knowledge, destiny and fulfillment.

Right of the bat, this book is not for everyone.  García Márquez is a magic realist, so the plot may be odd for those that aren't open to imagination and that prefer a more realistic view. But, I recommend this book to those who desire a great passionate love story that explains the many forms of love; love becomes convincingly identical to a disease, moreover Cholera.

A moving message. Watch!

WOW!!

Must see!! Spoken word at its finest...

This kid is soooooo good! He's going places.
Check out his other stuff too (Noah St. John)

Zorro?

(larrybrownsports)

Much respect for Kobe. His ability to play through pain is cray! All the criticism fuels him even more. Definitely one of the best in the game right now.