Someone once said, "Dreams should be something that you feel you must do even when you're about to stop breathing." If one day, your dream conflicts with your safety, how would you choose?
The Sudden News and A Ticking-time Bomb Inside His Body
Hong Kong swimming athlete Ho Siu Lun, Frank, who holds the title "Backstroke King", setting the Hong Kong youth record for the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly events, as well as six records at the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation (HKSSF). Frank started learning to swim in kindergarten and had been training four days a week since elementary school. He had never felt any discomfort until the school and swimming pool were closed due to the pandemic. In order to continue training, he applied to become a full-time athlete at the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI). However, during a heart ultrasound, he discovered that he had a congenital heart abnormality.
"It's as if there's a ticking time bomb inside my body, and I could be in danger of losing my life at any time when I do high-intensity exercise because of insufficient blood supply." Frank's condition is an abnormal location of the coronary artery outlet, and his blood vessels are thinner than those of the average person, leading to poor blood flow in his body. "At that time, I asked many doctors, and most of them had a negative view of my situation." In addition to the high risk of surgery, doctors also said that Frank's physical fitness might be worse after surgery. But if he didn't undergo surgery, he would only be able to swim in "healthy swim" in the future. "I remember I cried with my family for a long time immediately. It felt like a cannonball hit me suddenly, and my more than ten years of perseverance suddenly vanished." Fortunately, the HKSI referred him to a primary doctor who provided him with four surgical plans and gave him great confidence. At first, Frank's family did not agree to the surgery, but they knew that swimming was not only his dream but also the focus of his life. After balancing all factors and with the surgical sponsorship from the school and alumni, Frank underwent an open-heart surgery in 2021.
A Long Road to Recovery, A Desire to Catch up
After the surgery, Frank woke up with a long scar on his chest and a long recovery process. "I had a fever after the surgery, and the wound was very painful. I also had many tubes inserted into my body, so I couldn't move, and I couldn't sleep for several days." At the beginning after being discharged from the hospital, Frank still needed medication and regular follow-up visits, as well as relearning how to breathe. "There is a breathing training device that requires me to blow three waves. I used to find it very easy, but after the surgery, I could barely blow one balloon." The doctor recommended that he should not do any exercise for at least one to two months to prevent excessive stretches in the upper chest. "I remember the first time I swam after the surgery was during a staycation. I still felt a slight pain in the wound, and although I could only swim very slowly, I was already very happy."
As his body gradually recovered, Ho returned to training at the HKSI, but he experienced many setbacks both physically and mentally. While his teammates were training intensively, he could only slowly swim by himself, and the coach did not let him practice too much. "I was impatient and wanted to catch up with my previous level as soon as possible. I asked the coach if I could try to swim faster all the time." From not being able to swim backstroke and butterfly strokes, he could only swim freestyle, to re-swimming his personal best after participating in competitions with unsatisfactory results. After a year and a half, Frank finally represented Hong Kong in international competitions again in September 2022.
A Seal of Life: Spreading positive energy through experiences
Talking about his feelings of returning to the competition after the surgery, Frank said that the biggest difference was other people's gaze. He recalled that when he took off his shirt in the warm-up pool during the competition, other athletes were surprised to see his scar, and everyone was curious about his experience. After all, there are fewer such cases in the world, and even if they encounter his situation, they may choose to give up their athletic careers. "This scar is like a trophy of my life, proving that I have successfully won a tough battle." Frank also said that this experience of illness gave him the opportunity to share his story with others. "There may be many people in society who have similar problems. I hope to use my experience and my identity as an athlete to encourage them."
Riding the Waves: Motivations from swimming
Currently, Frank is studying in Canada and still lives the life of an athlete who practices swimming and fitness every day. Two years have passed, Frank frankly said that because his cardiopulmonary function is not as good as before, he has not been able to return to the 200-meter competition arena, but he hopes that with appropriate training, he can return to this event someday. "Swimming is everything in my life and has made me who I am now. Whenever I encounter frustration, I think of the moment when I could have lost swimming, and it gives me the motivation to persevere."
A dream that cannot be crushed, fearlessly breaking through oneself, and still daring to create one's own territory after breaking through the waves. In the future, Frank still regards swimming as the most important part of his life and looks forward to representing Hong Kong in more international competitions.