SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - Glen Dean transfered to Utah from Eastern Washington because he wanted to go to medical school after he was done playing basketball. Little did he know, the University of Utah hospital would end up saving his life.
It all started back in December when Dean, who is sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules, was working out in the weight room.
"I started having some vision problems," Dean said. "I got really dizzy and I couldn't see clearly."
Doctors initially thought Dean was experiencing a migraine. But it happened again a couple days later during the BYU game. Dean was sitting on the bench when everything went completely blurry. He was rushed to the hospital where they finally discovered what was wrong.
"They ran some tests and found out that I had some bleeding in my brain," Dean recalled. "It was an AVM."
Arteriovenous malformation happens when a blood vessel ruptures in the brain. It's a congenital condition that Dean was born with. The rupture was inevitably going to happen sometime during his life.
"There was going to come a time between ages 20 and 30 where I overexerted myself," Dean said. "I was going to do something to cause this blood vessel to rupture."
Dean was scared beyond belief. But he stayed strong for his family.
"I just tried to stay poised as much as possible because I have a big family, and I knew they were going to be startled. So, I just tried to stay as calm as possible."
Dean underwent successful brain surgery and is on the road to a full recovery. If he wan't at Utah, he might not have gotten the immediate care that helped save his life.
Dean can't practice with the team just yet, but he works out individually and expects to be back at full strength by next season. He said he couldn't have done it without the support of his family and teammates.
"They were so supportive," Dean said about his fellow Utes. "While I was in the hospital, guys were coming up and seeing me. Coaches were seeing me. When I got out, guys were really helping me out. I'm very thankful to have the coaches and teammates that I have."
Dean, who was the freshman of the year in the Big Sky Conference in 2010, will most likely be the Utes starting point guard next season. But he says this entire experience has given him a new outlook on basketball and on life in general.
"When things get tough for me in my workouts or in class, I just take a step back and think there was a chance that I wasn't going to be here today," Dean said. "It puts things in perspective for me. Life is short and basketball is even shorter. I am so blessed to be able to play basketball. I need to take advantage of it everyday, and become a better person as well as a better player."
