Patterson back after scare
BUTLER TWP — Geoff Patterson is part of a rather athletic family.
His wife, Joelle, is the Mars High School girls track and field coach. His son Colin, 14, plays baseball and basketball in the Butler Area School District. His daughter Sydney, 11, plays fifth grade basketball for Butler and club soccer for Northern Steel.
“Sports were getting expensive,” Patterson said. “So I got into officiating six years ago to help pay for travel sports, baseball bats, equipment ... The extra cash has come in handy.”
So has the extra exercise.
Patterson, 48, officiates high school basketball during the winter, high school baseball in the spring and local baseball during the summer. He works as a physical therapist.
“I enjoy doing basketball games because of all the running that's involved. It's been great exercise,” he said.
This past winter, Patterson began experiencing chest pains “that I was sure was a result of acid reflux.”
The pains would return periodically — including during the first half of a basketball game he worked at Moniteau — but he would always take antacids to counter them.
“I'd take antacids, the pains would go away,” Patterson said. “That's how it worked for a while. I took some at halftime of that (Moniteau) game and finished the second half, no problem.
“That was on a Wednesday night. That Friday night, I had pains in my stomach and couldn't fall asleep. I went to the emergency room, they ran tests and couldn't find anything.”
The following Monday, a heart catheterization discovered 100 percent blockage in one artery, 90 percent in a second, 80 percent in a third.
Patterson underwent triple bypass surgery the next day, Jan. 30.
“I was shocked. I was convinced that heart cath wasn't going to turn up anything,” he said. “I was scheduled to work a junior varsity game Tuesday night and fully believed I'd be able to work that game with no problems.”
Instead, he underwent heart surgery.
“There was a depression I went through,” Patterson said. “I mean, there are people who smoke, don't exercise, are 100 pounds overweight and don't experience this. Those thoughts went through my head.”
So did thoughts of a quick recovery.
Patterson was out of the hospital by the weekend. He was off work for five weeks and did most of his rehabilitation activity at home.
By the time April rolled around, he was back to umpiring high school baseball games.
“But they would only let me do the bases,” Patterson said. “I finally got (medically) cleared to go behind the plate (this week).”
Patterson is fully functional again — and plans to stay that way.
“I never had a heart attack, which obviously worked in my favor,” he said. “You just take what comes, I guess.
“I can say this ... I've never felt better. I take a two and a half-mile run now and I'm nowhere near as winded as I used to be.
“My son plays baseball, so my umpiring schedule may be limited this summer. But I'll keep working basketball games as long as I can continue to get up and down the court. Hopefully, that will be for a while,” he added.
