Courtesy photo
by KIM HILSENBECK
“I don’t feel any different,” said Bobby Limon. “I feel like I could run a marathon.”
But this seemingly healthy 17-year-old Hays High School junior from Buda can’t run a marathon or play active sports anymore because his heart may give out. Bobby has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which researchers say is the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes.
Most people don’t know they have HCM until something happens. Bobby said getting tested is the only way to confirm the problem.
Though active in sports since age 6, Bobby found out he had HCM after a fainting episode during a 2011 basketball tournament. Up to that point, he had no symptoms.
During his second game of the day, Bobby, a point guard, asked his coach to pull him from the game, complaining of feeling lightheaded.
“I knew something wasn’t right,” Bobby said. “I thought it was dehydration.”
HCM is characterized by a thicker-than-normal heart, which makes it harder to pump blood, especially during intense physical activity. One in 500 people worldwide have HCM, according to Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association.
His father, Robert Limon Sr., believes Bobby is one of the lucky ones.
“Unfortunately, many families of young athletes never know their son or daughter has HCM until after an autopsy,” Limon said.
Since HCM is a genetic condition, Bobby’s father had his whole family tested. Only Bobby was confirmed to have the disease.
Cases of young, otherwise healthy athletes fatally collapsing during or soon after an athletic event have been in the spotlight in recent years. Though not all had HCM, several notable examples include football players from Oregon State University and the San Francisco 49ers.
Ben Breedlove was an Austin teen who died on Christmas Day at age 18 after battling HCM since age 4. Breedlove’s YouTube videos caused a sensation on the popular social media site.
Breedlove wasn’t an athlete; early detection of his disease allowed him to avoid over taxing his heart with sports. But his HCM progressed to the point where his heart could no longer function.
As for Bobby, his condition has not progressed in the past year. He will continue to get checkups every six months, according to his dad. Living with HCM for the past year, Bobby Limon said he misses running down a basketball court and cross country events.
Bobby thinks his own future is bright even without basketball.
“I don’t want to be defined as the kid who can’t play sports anymore,” said Bobby. “There is so much more to me.”
Such as? Joining the Hays High student council and being inducted into the National Honor Society, for starters. Bobby’s family also got him interested in golf, an activity that he said is “doctor approved.”
Bobby said he wants to get a good college education. “I may even go into the medical field.”
“I knew I was never going to make it into the NBA,” Bobby said, “but I really enjoyed playing and being part of the team.”
His coach at Hays High, Dean McMullen, offered to make Bobby an assistant coach because he could no longer play.
“I felt like the school and the community really supported me,” Bobby said.
Hays Heart Classic Basketball Tournament brings 80 teams to Buda
