Major League Baseball Star Aaron Boone on 'Sharing Miracles'

Major League Baseball Star Aaron Boone on 'Sharing Miracles'

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Washington Business Journal recently reported that Major League Baseball star Aaron Boone is featured in January on 'Sharing Miracles' -- a 30-minute public affairs television program that tells the compelling and inspirational stories of real patients.

Sharing Miracles airs every week on more than 300 television stations nationwide. It is sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

Aaron Boone is a member of one of only three families in history to have three generations play in the major leagues. His grandfather, father and brother all played professional baseball. Aaron Boone is best known for an eleventh-inning, game-winning home run in the seventh game of the 2003 American League Championship Series. Clinching the series for the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox, Boone is said to have extended the "Curse of the Bambino" by one more year.

However, despite his notoriety for the home run, Boone says the at-bat most meaningful to him is one that almost never happened -- his first time at home plate following open-heart surgery.

While in college, Boone was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart defect that required yearly check-ups, but no treatment. That all changed in March 2009, when his cardiologist advised additional tests and a consultation with a surgeon. The decision was sobering, with Boone being told he needed open-heart surgery to correct his defect.

After successfully undergoing the procedure, Boone focused on his recovery and rehabilitation and eventually realized that he was strong enough to consider a return to the sport.

That September -- just seven months after being told that he needed open-heart surgery to live -- Boone accomplished the unlikely and returned to baseball, playing first base for the Houston Astros in a game against the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field.

In this month's episode of Sharing Miracles, Boone explains what his experience taught him: "When it comes to dealing with an illness or a medical condition, you have to persevere. There will be moments when it's rough and it's no fun. But the most rewarding thing is to come out of that, to see yourself improve and to see your body return to health. That fight makes you stronger," Boone says.

To find the broadcast show listing for your area, or to watch the episode at any time online, visit the Sharing Miracles website.

The full version of this article can be found on the Washington Business Journal website.

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Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

Web Site: http://www.phrma.org/

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