MBB BLOG - DANNY BERGER - 01-10-13

Hey everyone! I am extremely thankful that I have a chance to do this blog once again. I hope these words will portray some of the thoughts and feelings I have been having over the last month, but doubt that they will come close. I have put a lot of thought into what I would like to say, so hopefully it comes out right.

First of all, I thank God for the miracle He performed on December 4. I will try to refrain from getting too religious, but I know God lives, and He orchestrated the things that happened that day. I know a lot of people look at what happened to me and think that it was an enormous trial and wonder why it happened, but in all honesty, it has turned out to be an extremely great blessing in so many different ways. My faith in God has been strengthened tremendously, and the way I view human existence has changed dramatically. We forget a lot of things as humans, and this was a huge reminder of what is really important in life. I am forever in debt to my Heavenly Father for this.

I would now like to thank the people who have helped me tremendously throughout this entire experience. My family has obviously been a huge support to me not only during the past five weeks, but my entire life. I love them each individually. I cannot imagine what my parents went through as they heard the news and were several hours away from me at the time. My brother and sister are my best friends in this world, and I could not have done this without them. I could not have been placed in a better family here on earth.

Many of you are aware of the people who were on the scene who helped save my life. Please forgive me if I forget anyone because the list of people who helped me could be very long. I would like to take another moment to thank them again. Athletic trainer Mike Williams is the first of these I want to thank. His skill set and quickness to act was pivotal in my survival. Jessie Parker, our team manager, my roommate and friend knew exactly where the AED was at the moment of my collapse. His awareness and clarity of mind made it possible for Mike to do what he did. The coaches who were also trained in CPR need to be thanked. The paramedics who rushed to the Spectrum and doctors and nurses who worked on me and did the necessary things to preserve my life and memory are owed a thank you. My fellow teammates were huge in the whole situation, and I cannot imagine what they were going through. I also thank everyone who thought or prayed for me or sent me a message or a card or anything like that for what they did. I have realized how great the Aggie family really is. Thousands of people pulled together and have made this process a lot easier. The USU football team and their support, as well as the support from all the other teams, means a lot.

I was able to go home to Oregon for about a week which was great. I was able to see people who were also worried sick about what was going on. I helped get things back in order, and I was even able to catch a few of my high school team’s games which was awesome, but I am grateful to be back in Logan and starting school.

Rehab is going very well so far. With the defibrillator in my chest, activity is limited for a while, but I have been exercising on the stationary bike and even been jogging a little. I am taking things slow one day at a time and know I will be back to full strength on the court again some day soon. I have realized an important lesson which was hard to understand before all of this. I am extremely blessed to have been playing the game of basketball my entire life, but especially at this level and this specific institution. I realize that more and more each day as I sit and watch practice. I love the game and miss it already, but understand now that it has been such a great experience to be able to receive such great enjoyment from the game. I love basketball and playing here at Utah State.

Thanks again to all the people who have pulled together and saved my life.

Love,
Danny Berger