NECHCHADI GETTING OPEN HEART SURGERY TOMORROW By David Monti (c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved September 11, 2007
El
Mustapha Nechchadi, the former Moroccan marathoner who now coaches
world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba, is scheduled to have open
heart surgery tomorrow.
"He is having an aortic valve
transplant," wrote Ndereba's manager, Lisa Buster, in an e-mail. She
and Nechchadi were formerly married and still work together. "This is
due to something he was born with called aortic stenosis," Buster wrote.
People
with aortic valve stenosis, according to the website WebMD.com, have a
narrowing of the aortic valve. "When the heart pumps, the aortic valve
opens to let oxygen-rich blood flow from the left ventricle into a
large blood vessel called the aorta," the website states. "The heart
has to work harder to pump blood through the smaller opening. The heart
can do this for many years, but over time it gets worn out. It can no
longer send out as much blood as your body needs. If you don't get
treatment, heart failure may develop."
Nechchadi, 44, set his
career best time of 2:10:09 when he finished second at the London
Marathon in 1987. He has coached Ndereba to two world titles and an
Olympic silver medal, and will continue to coach her while recuperating
from surgery which will take place in the Philadelphia area. According
to Buster, he will be hospitalized for a week.
Those wishing to send their good wishes to Nechchadi, can send them to Buster at lbuster.pmi (put in the @ symbol) comcast.net.
