UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has experienced first-hand the miracle of medicine.
After a lengthy absence from the sport due to a bout with diverticulitis–a digestive disease found in the large intestine–Lesnar announced his return to fighting last week on ESPN’s Sportscenter, and later in a conference call to reporters. Seizing the platform, Lesnar made a point to applaud the doctors who helped him recover, while stating his objection to the healthcare reform bill proposed by President Obama.
“President Obama is pushing this health care reform and I don’t want it,” said Lesnar. “I’m a conservative and I’m speaking on behalf of our doctors here in the U.S.”
Lesnar’s stance is likely attributed to the care, or his perceived lack thereof, he received while in Canada (Canada employs a publicly-funded healthcare system).
After calling-off his then-scheduled matchup with Shane Carwin, Lesnar headed across the border to Canada to do some hunting when his health deteriorated to the point that he admitted himself into a hospital there. Lesnar likened his time spent there to a “third world country.”
“I’m not bashing Canadian healthcare,” said Lesnar. “I’m a U.S. citizen. It just so happened that it happened there. If it was in Thailand I would’ve wanted to get back to the U.S. But there are millions of people that don’t want the healthcare and I’m one of them. I’m not a believer in socialism and what is going on.”
Lesnar was so unimpressed with the care he received while in Canada that he actually had his wife remove him from the hospital there and drive him across the border to North Dakota. Back in the U.S., Lesnar eventually was admitted to the famed Mayo Clinic where surgery to remove part of his colon was recommended–a decision which would have ended his career.
“I had a hole in my stomach basically,” Lesnar said. “What they wanted to do was go in and remove the bad section of my colon. I would have to wear a colostomy bag for 6-8 weeks. If I had the surgery I would’ve probably retired.”
Hoping to avoid surgery, Lesnar returned home, began working out, eating healthier, and letting prescribed antibiotics do their work. Upon returning to the hospital, doctors discovered that Lesnar had fully recovered and surgery was no longer necessary.
“I changed my diet and got on some natural medicine and started working out,” Lesnar said about his time away from the hospital. “I went back and it was gone and the doctors told me I didn’t need surgery.”
A follow-up appointment verified these findings and Lesnar was given a clean bill of health. Attributing some of his recovery to a more well-balanced diet–Lesnar said for years he was surviving on meat and potatoes–he also feels his regained health is a direct result of the healthcare opportunities available to him.
“People may say there is no way this could happen,” Lesnar said about his miraculous recovery. “But people come from all over the world to come to this Mayo Clinic.
“Insurance is expensive. We need some restructuring but we don’t need socialistic healthcare in America.”
Related posts:
