WALTHAM — Practicing shirtless, Jeff Green spins toward the basket, all long limbs, muscled torso, and scar. The Celtics forward lets everyone see the slightly raised, foot-long line that runs down the middle of his chest, almost inviting curious stares.
“I show the scar off whenever I can,” said Green, who had open heart surgery nearly 10 months ago. “It is a part of me now. I love it. It is a reminder that I’ve battled something that a lot of people doubted I was going to come back from.”
Comments
Thank you for a great article! My surgery for Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR), root and ascending aortic graft was 16 years ago. As an African American listening to Jeff Green speak about his surgery, his zipper, (as we open heart patients call our scar) and life, made mine seem as though it was yesterday and it sounded similar. I'm grateful he shared his story, it will encourage many and I'm praying for his health and success on the court, he also has a new fan! His willingness to sport his scar is typical of many patients, we tend to talk about it almost anywhere, anytime. Thanks for publishing this article!.
Two thumbs up, Mr. Green. Have a great season. Thanks for telling your story.