Volume 126 Issue 39
kansan.com
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Going the distance
Student runner trains for triathlon after undergoing heart surgery
the student voice since 1904
ave a State. By new the
"They said it was low risk, but heart surgery is heart surgery," Sundermeyer said. "It was really scary, but I had a really good support system with my friends and family." The procedure itself was fairly simple; the surgeons went in laparoscopically, meaning they only made a few small incisions in his chest, to separate the troublesome chambers by caterizing them. This also meant they didn't have to crack his sternum, which allowed for a faster recovery.
Sundermeyer was ordered to rest for an entire month after the surgery. He spent every day on the couch watching TV and counting down the days until he would finally be able to run again. When his month of couch arrest was up he didn't timidly dip his toes in the water — he jumped right in and started training for a triath-
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ASHLEIGH TIDWELL
atidwell@kansan.com
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Sundermeyer said he realized that a heart surgery shouldn't prevent him from doing what he loves, and he wanted to put his newly fixed heart to good use.
Disbelief, shock and worry were only a few of the emotions that went through Hunter Sundermeyer's head when he found out he needed surgery for a moderately severe heart arrhythmia.
After years of distance running, a heart problem was the last thing he expected. He thought, "How does a 19-year-old athlete end up needing heart surgery?"
In January, Sundermeyer, a sophomore from Olaina, was told that two chambers of his heart were abnormally interconnected and it was causing atrial fibrillation, which means those two chambers were beating out of sync. The issue had to be fixed through surgery, and quickly.
Just a week after finding out about his condition. Sundermeyer was heading to the operating table. Though the condition was dangerous, his young age meant the operation would be much simpler and the recovery time much shorter. But, even with this reassuring news, Sundermeyer was terrified going in.
lon.
"After the surgery everybody treated me differently, kind of delicately," Sundermeyer said. "I wanted to do something to show everybody that I'm better than I was before."
As a pre-dental student, Sundermeyer's course load is pretty heavy and finding time for training can be difficult. But he said as long as he can get in at least a small workout every night he's working toward his goal.
In the time since his operation, those two legs have taken him from the couch to his first triathlon.
He said he is certain about the decision to work hard and put his improved heart to the test, but his true goal is crossing that finish line in Mav
"Honestly I just want to finish," Sundemeyer said. "I just want to get there and do as well as I can and show how far I've come in a year."
On May 18, just 16 months after the procedure,
Sundermeyer will run in the Kansas City Sprint
Triathlon — a 500-meter swim, 10-mile bike ride
and 5k run.
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Until then, he's putting in several hours a week training hard at the gym. On a typical evening he will either run four miles, bike 16 miles or swim for an hour, plus some weightlifting on top of that. Sundermeyer's love for running started when he was a kid and has grown from there. He ran cross-country in high school and has run several 5k races, which he said is his favorite events.
- Edited by Duncan McHenry
"I love being able to get from point A to point B using nothing but my own body," Sundermeyer said. "I love to run to the top of the hill and look back at how far I've gone with just my two legs."
KATIE MCBRIDE
kmcbride@kansan.com
Brandishing signs covered in phrases like "I am not just a budget" and "Education shouldn't be a debt sentence," a group of University students protested state budget cuts to higher education funding yesterday.
The group, led by the student organization KU Young Democrats, held their protest before the visit from representatives of the Kansas House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees met with Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and other University officials.
University officials.
"It's just not right," said Eric Schumacher, a senior from Topeka and vice president of KU Young Democrats, referring to the higher education budget cuts. "We simply believe this is
Schumacher added that "the attitude coming from government leaders is that students can shoulder the burden of cutting costs," and said the state should make sure students have the resources they need to graduate.
It's a reflection on the people who made the cuts. It shows that they don't find education to be an important asset."
Ashley Lewandowski, a sophomore from Pittsburg and a protester, said she thought the cuts to funding weren't purely a fiscal decision.
"It's a reflection on the people who made the cuts," Lewandowski said. "It shows that they don't find education to be an important asset."
the wrong time to be cutting education, and it's going to hurt the future of the state."
Schumacher said, in contrast to the cuts made in Kansas, many states have recently increased funding for higher education.
those being educated here."
"This plan makes your degree
"These cuts are harmful," Schumacher said. "They're not going to improve our economy; they're not going to improve life for everyday Kansans, especially
He added that he does not see many benefits coming from the budgetary decisions made, and that they will instead "do more harm than good."
ASHLEY LEWANDOWSKI
Pittsburg sophomore
er to obtain," Schumacher said. "For a lot of students, they aren't going to be able to afford it; their family isn't going to be able to afford it." He said students may have to take out higher loan
amounts and face even more difficulty paying them back, thereby increasing their level of debt.
Lewandowski added that an education is essential in getting hired for most jobs in the country. She also said she questioned why the state would choose to make cuts toward something so important.
"Education is something you need to prosper in this country." Lewandowski said. "It's a key platform for the future and enables you to continue your dreams."
Edited by Duncan McHenry
CLASSIFIEDS 2B
CROSSWORD 5A
CRYPTOQUIPS 5A
OPINION 4A
SPORTS 1B
SUDOKU 5A
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