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Hardcore sports fans have been accused of having their priorities out of whack at times. But don't question their heart.
Especially 69-year-old Ron Pettichord of Gresham, Ore., who responded like any normal person when he found out his Oregon Ducks were playing their first national championship game on the same day as his scheduled open-heart surgery.
He postponed the surgery.
The Oregonian reported that the retired letter carrier put off by two days his Jan. 10 procedure to repair an enlarged aorta. Although the surgery is considered fairly low risk with a high rate of survival, it's still open-heart surgery.
“It’s like an aneurysm," he told the paper cheerfully. "It could burst.”
Pettichord said his daughter even offered to record the game for him, but he turned her down: “What if I never woke up? I’d never know the score."
An Oregon native, Pettichord cited state pride as why he does not want to turn down the once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch his Ducks win a national title. His new surgery is set for Jan. 12.
