Gondrezick eyes speedy recovery
One day after undergoing a heart transplant operation, Glen Gondrezick was not resting comfortably. He was in pain, as expected.
But he was feeling optimistic about the future.
"I've already made a lot more progress than they thought," Gondrezick said Sunday night.
He was visiting with friends and watching the Dallas Cowboys-Green Bay Packers game while resting in his room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
"I'll be up and walking by Wednesday," said Gondrezick, a former UNLV basketball star and the color commentator on the Rebels' radio broadcasts for the past 16 years.
Gondrezick, 53, said he will remain in the hospital for five to seven days and will spend about another month in Los Angeles.
On Nov. 11, when the Rebels open their season with an exhibition game against Washburn at the Thomas & Mack Center, he plans to be working the radio broadcast.
"I will be there for Day One of UNLV basketball, and that's a guarantee now," he said.
Gondrezick said doctors "absolutely have no concerns at all" about his physical condition following Saturday's surgery.
He suffered from congenital heart disease, and his heart was pumping at about 9 percent of capacity. By Sunday afternoon, he said, his new heart was working at about 50 percent capacity.
Including time spent stabilizing his condition, Gondrezick said, he waited 186 days on the donor list.
He will learn details about the heart donor today. He said he received an "excellent heart," according to the doctor who performed the surgery.
"He said it was absolutely perfect. He said it was worth the wait," Gondrezick said. "He said, 'You got very, very lucky getting this heart.' "
Gondrezick said he must take about 50 pills per day of anti-rejection medication, and he can begin exercising soon.
Gondrezick helped lead UNLV to its first Final Four appearance in 1977. His jersey No. 25 was retired in 1997.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.
