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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Thursday, January 22, 1998 Penders says heart transplant could be option in future AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas coach Tom Penders says he could be a candidate for a heart transplant in the future, but he says he doesn't anticipate it happening anytime soon. Penders, 52, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) in 1991 and had a defibrillator implanted in his chest Nov. 6 by heart surgeon Denton Cooley at St. Luke's Hospital in Houston. "Dr. Cooley said they couldn't put me on a (transplant) list even if they wanted to. I'm nowhere near ready for that," said Penders, who is in his 10th year at Texas. "Dr. Cooley's one of my best friends. He's not going to B.S. me." Penders said his heart was pumping at only 25 percent efficiency when he was admitted to Seton Hospital in late October with a kidney infection. He said the efficiency improved to more than 50 percent after the defibrillator implant and is moving toward the 70 percent mark he had when the caridomyopathy first was discovered seven years ago. "I'm not going to lie to myself and say I'm over this and am going to live to 100 because of the defibrillator," Penders said. "The reality is I was born with, or contracted, this heart disease and someday it may get worse." Penders, who has been noticeably more low-key on the bench this season, said he has not been advised to find a less stressful line of work. "If my mother was still living she would (advise it)," he said. "It is not stress-related. It's not good for anything if you allow yourself to be stressed out, and the last thing in the world I'm going to be stressed out over is basketball. I love it too much. I love the coaching part of it too much. This has made me enjoy coaching even more, I think." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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