Coach Kill suffers another seizure

[muskiemanAD]

Gophers coach suffered his 3rd seizure in 3 years during the game. I know stress can cause one and when your struggling to beat these guys I can see the stress level is rather high.... Hope he recovers quickly but a tough situation for a coach to be in and deal with.

[zepman]

I feel bad for him...

He needs to be in the box on game-day!

[Big Dave2]

I feel bad for him...

He needs to be in the box on game-day!

He needs to do himself and the team a favor and resign.

[jentz]

they run on asst.coaches anyway.The public pays his wages!! and he's rakin it in! Retire! Quit whatever, a coach is a full time job at that level.

[kfk]

I don't agree that he has to resign at all. He's a heck of a coach and MN is lucky to have him running their program. His staff is well prepared to take over if and when his seizures occur. So he has a disease. Many folks do. Epilepsy affects about 2.3 million adults in the U.S. Force him to resign becasue of it? No way.

[fishersofmen]

Yea I feel bad for the guy.

[Big Dave2]

I don't agree that he has to resign at all. He's a heck of a coach and MN is lucky to have him running their program. His staff is well prepared to take over if and when his seizures occur. So he has a disease. Many folks do. Epilepsy affects about 2.3 million adults in the U.S. Force him to resign becasue of it? No way.

I was thinking that maybe he should resign for his own personal health reasons but I'm sure his seizures don't do the program any good when you are trying to recruit top talent. They are trying to recruit top talent, aren't they?

[JBMasterAngler]

I think it would be in everyone's best interests if he stepped down. The school can't be having this guy drop dead right on the field during a game.

[zepman]

They are...but I think Kill has been really consistant in saying they want the players who fit their program and system.

His health is an issue...no doubt about it.

The "U" is a LONG way away from competing with the Ohio States and Michigans in their own conference for recruits...any moron can see that. You want the recruits...hire the 3-5 million dollar coach to bring them in here.

Mason had it figured out...he lacked the defense during his time here to take it to the next level. "THEY" ran him out of here and it will take YEARS to get back to where he was.....

[kfk]

So if I understand those of you that say Coach Kill should resign, if any of you had a child with epilepsy you'd tell them to set their sights low in life. I fell sorry for you guys.

[CaptainMusky]

You guys should seriously do some research on epilepsy before making these ignorant comments about him resigning. Each case is different and there are millions of people who suffer seizures due to epilepsy and most you wouldn't even know it.

Granted its unfortunate it happens in the middle of the game buy there is no reason he or anyone else with this disorder would need to step down.

[fishersofmen]

You guys should seriously do some research on epilepsy before making these ignorant comments about him resigning. Each case is different and there are millions of people who suffer seizures due to epilepsy and most you wouldn't even know it.

Granted its unfortunate it happens in the middle of the game buy there is no reason he or anyone else with this disorder would need to step down.

Well said. If anything I think his health issues allow his players and staff to have even more respect for him seeing what he is going through yet he is still fully committed and dedicated to doing his job. Would he be better off having these seizures on the floor of his house?

[Big Dave2]

So if I understand those of you that say Coach Kill should resign, if any of you had a child with epilepsy you'd tell them to set their sights low in life. I fell sorry for you guys.

Why can't he set his sights even higher? College football coach is not the highest position in the land. Why can't he set his sights on an administrative position where he would not be subject to the amount of stress he is now.

If you were one of his family members, you would want him to stay in a job that seems to cause him to go into epileptic seizures?

And like it or not, the reality of it all for the program is that his seizures during games are a PR and recruiting nightmare. It's not his fault, just a reality.

If you would rather put a football program in front of a man's health then I feel sorry for you.

[Big Dave2]

If he were one of my loved ones I would want him to take himself out of the stressful environment that makes him more susceptible to these risk factors. But then again I don't put football above all other things in life like some do.

Quote:

WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EPILEPSY?

Sep 2, 2010 | By Dominique Brooks

In epilepsy, abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures, according to the Mayo Clinic. The diagnosis of epilepsy is given when there are two or more seizures; epilepsy can be treated with medication or with surgical procedures. All forms of epilepsy require some form of treatment because a seizure can occur during driving, swimming or other activities. There are also some long-term effects that a person may develop after epilepsy.

BRAIN INJURY

People with epilepsy are at risk for having a status epilepticus attack. This is a condition of uninterrupted seizure activity that lasts for more than five minutes or recurrent seizures without a return to consciousness between each one, according to the Mayo Clinic. Status epilepticus may cause brain damage or death. People with epilepsy may also fall down and injure the brain during a seizure; this may cause brain damage as well.

Patients with epilepsy may develop problems with memory over the long term. According to the Epilepsy Action HSOforum, people can lose memories during a seizure which may not return after the seizure ends. Memories of events that occur before a seizure may also be lost after a seizure. Medications used to treat epilepsy may interfere with memory as well. The damage to memory may affect a patient's life in a variety of ways; the patient may have to find ways to adjust to function in everyday life.

SUDDEN DEATH

People with poorly controlled or uncontrolled epilepsy are at risk for sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. This condition occurs in about one in every 1000 people with epilepsy, according to the Mayo Clinic. This is also more common in people who have frequent tonic clonic, or grand mal, seizures.

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Children who suffer from epilepsy may develop problems with learning, according to The Hospital for Sick Children HSOforum. Some of these problems may stem from the seizure activity itself or from the medications that a child may be taking. A child may have problems in school, with language, attention or memory. Helping a child manage any problems with learning that result from epilepsy requires early intervention.

REFERENCES

Mayo Clinic: Epilepsy Epilepsy Foundation: Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Epilepsy Action: Memory The Hospital for Sick Children: How Epilepsy Affects Learning

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/216882-what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-epilepsy/#ixzz2evq7l5ZO

[Big Dave2]

Would he be better off having these seizures on the floor of his house?

He would be better off not having them at all.

If you think that stress is not a huge factor in causing seizures then maybe it's you that needs to do some research on Epilepsy.

[LMITOUT]

Mason had it figured out...

"THEY" ran him out of here and it will take YEARS to get back to where he was.....

Thanks for the laugh this morning!

[Big Dave2]

I've lived in Minnesota since 1980 and the only Gopher Football coach that "had it figured out" was Lou Holtz. He figured it out and jumped ship fast!

[Kettle]

I understand both sides in the argument but I have to lean towards Big Dave on this one, there is a point in life where you need to think of personal health not just for yourself but for your loved ones. Is it admiral what coach Kill is doing, in some eyes yes, in some eyes the term stupidity comes to mind. Fortunate thing is they have medics on standby at all the gopher games at TCF, but it is still standard procedure to wait 5 minutes before giving the "emergency medicine" to seizure patients. In all the seizures I have witnessed the number one cause is stress to the body, weather it be from work, relationships or very common substance withdrawal. I hope he can find a happy "medium" in life.

Kettle

[LightningBG]

So if I understand those of you that say Coach Kill should resign, if any of you had a child with epilepsy you'd tell them to set their sights low in life. I fell sorry for you guys.

Nobody said sights have to be set low, but they have to realistic. Everyone has physical limitations that don't allow us to do certain professions. I 6'2" and not very fast, I will never be a professional athlete. Is that "setting my sights low" or being realistic with the cards I was dealt? Are you going to tell some blind kid they can be a NASCAR driver if they really work at it, because we wouldn't want to limit them? It's reality, might as well embrace it.

Personally, I think it's time for him to retire. Go spend some time with your family. Life is too short.

[CaptainMusky]

Wow, I don't know if its in desperation or bipolarism but big Dave is actually quoting legitimate medical sources now.

BTW Dave, are you suggesting that someone who has worked their entire life for something, possibly earned it now say no, I will just hand out water bottles instead of leading these kids in life and football? Doh k!

[CaptainMusky]

You guys talk as if this is some physical limitation. You would be surprised by the numbers of people in your daily life that suffer from this and you would never even know it.

[Big Dave2]

Quote:

Gophers' Jerry Kill wants to coach -- should it be his call?

September 14, 2013 9:32 pm ET

Jerry Kill suffered his fourth seizure in 22 games as head coach of Minnesota on Saturday, raising a question that is awkward to ask about any grown man, much less one as kindly as Jerry Kill. And make no mistake, this is a kindly man. When he was coaching Southern Illinois, Kill started a foundation to help low-income patients fight cancer.

But make no mistake about this, too: Jerry Kill's epilepsy is a major concern -- and not just for Jerry Kill.

There will be people, maybe even most people who read this story, who will fall back on the default position that Kill is a grown man; if he wants to risk dying on the sideline -- doing what he loves -- that's his choice.

And you know what? In a vacuum, that's 100 percent correct. If Jerry Kill is OK with the risk to himself, who are any of us to tell him he's wrong? That's not our business.

But this issue, and these seizures, aren't happening in a vacuum. They're happening on game day, often right there on the sideline. This is an issue that's bigger than Jerry Kill and the personal risks he's willing to assume. What about the risks everyone else assumes? What if he has a fatal seizure during a game, in full view of the stadium?

That's our business.

And that seems to be a legitimate risk, given that Jerry Kill has suffered four seizures in 22 games. The math is pretty easy: Since being hired by Minnesota before the 2011 season, Kill has suffered a seizure every five or six games -- and the frequency is increasing. He has suffered three seizures in the last 11 games, and was unable to finish two of them.

This is a problem, and a heartbreaking problem at that. You think this is me, coldly and unsympathetically wondering if Jerry Kill should resign? Don't think that. This is me feeling terrible for a man who has devoted much of his life to football, and who reached the pinnacle of his profession in 2011 when he made it into the Big Ten as a head coach -- and who is doing a great job. At Minnesota his teams have gone 3-9, then 6-7, and now 3-0 early in 2013.

Of course Jerry Kill doesn't want to resign. He wants to keep using his platform to raise money for low-income cancer patients, and to keep using his platform to raise awareness about epilepsy. He's a spokesman at the state and national levels, and he and his wife, Rebecca, are acting as hosts for a second annual epilepsy awareness game Oct. 26 vs. Nebraska.

Kill is doing good work for Minnesota football, and for epilepsy patients, and I'm thinking about that as I write this.

But I'm also thinking about everyone else in the stadium the next time Kill has a seizure during a game, whether it's at home or on the road. People die from epileptic seizures. It's called Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and according to EpilepsyFoundation.org it happens to about one in 1,000 epilepsy sufferers per year. But the odds go way up for people who, like Kill, have more frequent seizures -- as high as one in 150 people.

Could Jerry Kill be that one in 150? Gosh I hope not. You hope nobody dies from epilepsy ever again, but denial doesn't do any good. People really do die every year from epileptic seizures, and Jerry Kill really does have multiple seizures every year, and his seizures really do seem to be increasing in frequency, exacerbated by the stress of coaching a Big Ten football team on game day.

That's Jerry Kill's job. But should it be? I'm not asking for him. Apparently he's decided what's best for him, and that's his right.

But what about what's best for everyone else?

Who gets to make that decision?

[kfk]

You guys that think he should resign are the judge and jury that decides if he's able to coach or not? What power gives you that authority?

[Big Dave2]

You guys talk as if this is some physical limitation. You would be surprised by the numbers of people in your daily life that suffer from this and you would never even know it.

Epilepsy very well can be a physical limitation for many people.

Many epileptics are not allowed to drive. By law coach Kill will have to report his seizure to the state within 30 days.

Most epileptics are advised to never go swimming alone. Some are advised not to even take a bath while alone.

There are plenty of other limits for epileptics too like climbing ladders, etc.

[Big Dave2]

You guys that think he should resign are the judge and jury that decides if he's able to coach or not? What power gives you that authority?

I never said I had any authority. My wife can attest to that fact.