Hiding beneath Brian Goren?s jersey is a scar under his left arm, and a small chest protector that shields his surgically-repaired heart.
Opponents may not know it, but friends and family of the Owings Mills second basemen are fully aware of Goren?s path.
“They were a little scared in the beginning,” Goren said. “I told them I?d be fine, and I?d get back to baseball.”
As it turns out, Goren is a man of his word.
In September, Goren was prompted to see a doctor after repeated nosebleeds. He was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, which involves the narrowing of the main blood vessel.
Goren, 16, has suffered from the condition since birth. But with no symptoms, the condition was not apparent until September 21, when a doctor told Brian and his mother, Emily, that surgery was imminent.
“It?s almost indescribable,” Emily Goren said of her immediate thoughts.
“I was shocked,” Brian Goren said. “I had no clue it was coming. I didn?t even have time to be scared.”
He went in for surgery on December 19, pushing back the operation so that he wouldn?t miss too much school.
Dr. Jeffery Sell inserted a tube to expand the aorta, but found something more pressing ? an aneurism in Goren?s heart.
“Had they not found it, and he played ball, anything could have happened,” said Owings Mills head coach Howe Rudow, who also coached Goren last spring.
“The doctor said as long as everything was fine, I?d be ready by April 1,” Goren said. “I still have a couple limitations, but they said, ?As long as the surgery went well, you should be ready by April 1.? And I was.”
“The only thing I can?t do is lift heavy things,” Goren said. “On the baseball field I?m diving all over the place, and doing everything.”
Rudow described the scrappy, vocal player as a leader.
“I hit well at the beginning,” Goren said, admitting that his glove has been stronger than his bat. “I?m struggling now, but I?ll pick it up.”
Given his determination, there is little doubt Goren will keep his word.
HEART OF A CHAMPION
» Goren, who turns 17 this summer, has been playing baseball since he was seven. He plans to go to college for sports broadcasting or sports journalism.
» Rudow described Goren as “a great kid to be around off the field” who “gets along with everybody.” On the field for the 12-3 Eagles, Goren is all business.
» Brian?s brother Jason, 18, is a freshman at Penn State. He played for Rudow.
» Beyond parents Emily and Howard, Brian found strengthin friends, who his mom describes as “a really unbelievable group.”
» According to HeartPoint.com, coarctation of the aorta increases blood pressure to dramatic levels, while decreasing blood flow to the body. It is more common in men than in women, and accounts for nearly 20 percent of cases of congenital heart disease.
