Tennessee walk-on linebacker and former Farragut High School standout Shane Reveiz will have surgery early next month to remove a potentially life-threatening growth on his heart.
Reveiz is expected to undergo surgery sometime during the first week of January. If all goes well, he could potentially be able to return to the team in August.
“My No. 1 interest is his health,” said Reviez’s father, Fuad Reveiz, a former Tennessee and longtime NFL kicker. “Football becomes distant. He has worked so hard and so much that it’s a great part of his life.”
Doctors found the growth during a round of free echocardiogram tests, which were provided by UT to give doctors a three-dimensional image of an athlete’s heart to help reveal potential problems that could be aggravated by athletic activity.
That initial scan revealed a problem, and follow-up tests showed the marble-sized growth on the wall of the lower right chamber of his heart.
“I keep reminding him this is a blessing,” Fuad Reveiz said. “It’s our Christmas present, quite frankly. We found something in him that we would not have known any other way.”
Digirad Ultrascan Solutions, founded by Tennessee graduate and supporter Mickie King, donated the service, which would cost about $1,000 per student.
“Here we are doing something proactively for the health of our young men, and we find something very significant that could be saving a young man’s life,” UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. “I talked to Fuad and his wife, and they’re very appreciative of that. I think it’s a great example of what the University of Tennessee is about.”
Those same tests also revealed a heart condition in men’s basketball player Duke Crews last week. Crews is sidelined indefinitely.
Shane Reveiz, in his first year at UT, has not practiced with the team since Saturday, when doctors determined he needed further tests.
Reveiz’s older brother, Nick, is also a linebacker with the Vols. Nick Reveiz has played in all 13 games, primarily on special teams, but missed Tuesday’s practice to be with his family.
He is expected to join Tennessee on Dec. 26 when it travels to Tampa, Fla., for continued preparations leading up to the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.
On Thursday, the Reveiz family will meet with a specialist in Atlanta to further discuss Shane’s surgical options.
The family met with another surgeon Wednesday in Knoxville.
Fuad Reveiz expressed his thanks to those involved in Shane’s diagnosis and care.
“(Defensive coordinator) John Chavis called, (Fulmer) called, the trainers have been wonderful,” he said. “The folks at Fort Sanders have been phenomenal. I cannot say enough good things about the care. I cannot say enough good things about the care my son has had (at Tennessee).”
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Comments » 14
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Our prayers are with you, young man. Get well.
andy112382#209793 writes:
Get well soon, both you and Duke Crews. You'll have the prayers of vol nation with you.
justingh1 writes:
I haven't seen Shane play but if he is anything like his brother he has plenty of heart.Good luck to you sir.
tigervol9802 writes:
This machine may be the best money Tennessee has spend on its atheltes ever.
Get well soon.
BigOrangeVol29 writes:
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the young man, we wish you the best of luck in your recovery.
BigVolinCarolina writes:
We'll be praying for you, Shane. I'm glad this was caught early.
invisiblekid writes:
Just want the Reviez family to know they are all in the thoughts of the Big Orange family.
dfreeman writes:
God bless you and your family Shane! Our prayers are with you!!
andefromtn#212139 writes:
First, my prayers go out to both players and their families. I am sure that UT is helping both to find the care they need to deal with this issue. Second, perhap the NCAA will now require this test as a part of the phsyicals performed by each school. These kids give so much to their school it is the schools can do for them.
There have been several NCAA athletes who have had fatal heart conditions and I am so thankful that Mickie King gave back to UT. Mickie's and UT's actions may have saved the lives of these two young men. Shane's Dad said it best: “I keep reminding him this is a blessing,” Fuad Reveiz said. “It’s our Christmas present, quite frankly. We found something in him that we would not have known any other way.”
knoxtenor writes:
At Farragut, and now at UT, despite adversity, Nick Reveiz always played with heart. I hope that he has a healthy one come August. Maybe he can be roomies in the hospital with Duke Crews.
txsvol#372416 writes:
A good pick-up on an echocardiogram, which was done probably based upon the recent Sports Illustrated article. (Second UT athlete diagnosed since the article was written in early December.) Since Shane is a young adult, and from reading this story, I suspect that he has a myxoma in the right ventricle. (One of the people in the skyboxes, whose name is also on the suite under the north stands, is Dr. Rodney Wolf, a noted cardiothoracic surgeon from Memphis.) Best wishes to Shane for a complete recovery! Go Vols! SAVol
norrisr#264341 writes:
If they are smart they will let the Cleveland Clinic do the job. Best in the world.
txsvol#372416 writes:
FWIW, I saw a patient yesterday who had had his spine surgery in Dallas 15-20 years ago, his coronary artery bypass in Corpus Christi five years ago, and he told me he had had his endovascular prosthesis done in Cleveland. When I commented that he had really gotten around, and asked if he had been referred to a particular specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, he told me it was Cleveland, Texas, a town 30-40 miles northeast of Houston on US 59, not the Cleveland Clinic. Point being, you can get very good care wherever you have a medical problem and a well-trained, experienced physician/surgeon. SAVol
MsJennyMN writes:
My thoughts and prayers are with the Reveiz family. Shane~ I am praying for your quick recovery. And I thank UT for doing this test, as it is a blessing it was found early. God Bless you and Miss you...
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