Condition Has Never Made Him Lose Heart

Sometimes, the precious beat of a heart is taken for granted. Every pulsation sustains life, pumping blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.

Trevor Charlston, the kicker for the undefeated Beverly Hills football team who is also an all-league soccer player and straight-A student, is scheduled for open-heart surgery Dec. 12, three days after the Southern Section Division IV football final.

In these days of modern medicine, there are aspects of open-heart surgery that have become almost routine, but it’s still a life-saving operation.

Charlston, a junior, appears to be the least concerned of anyone. He acts as if his appointment is for teeth cleaning rather than a five-hour operation during which doctors will repair a leaking heart valve by replacing his aortic valve with his pulmonary valve, then use tissue from a human cadaver to replace his pulmonary valve.

“It’s one of those things I’ve been preparing to deal with for years,” he said. “It’s so ingrained knowing I’ve had this heart condition.”

At 3, he underwent surgery to fix a hole in his heart. Doctors told his parents another operation would be required by the time Charlston reached his late teens.

“We could wait and have the surgery this summer, but we all want to get it over with,” said Charlston’s mother, Donna Black.

Charlston’s energy and stamina have been weakening, a sign that his condition is getting worse. The aortic valve opens to allow blood to exit the left ventricle and closes to prevent blood from leaking back in. His heart is having to work harder and harder because of a leak.

Charlston remembers as a freshman he could run a mile in less than 6 1/2 minutes, then want to run again. But fatigue has been slowly setting in. After surgery, he’s hoping to regain his energy.

His doctor allowed him to play football as long as running was kept to a minimum in recent weeks. As the kicker, he made all five extra points in Beverly Hills’ 35-33 first-round playoff victory over Atascadero. His 50 conversion kicks are a school record. He also has made four of five field-goal attempts.

His coach, Carter Paysinger, didn’t know until a few weeks ago that Charlston was scheduled to have surgery.

“It’s kind of remarkable,” Paysinger said. “I’m not sure I could focus on school and football knowing there was an operation coming.”

Charlston’s closest friends have sensed little change in his demeanor.

“He says he’s a little nervous,” quarterback Meyer Linter said. “It hasn’t affected him on the football field. He’s still kicking balls into the end zone and making all his extra points.”

And he’s still getting A’s on his report card. He had a 5.0 grade-point average last quarter by earning A’s in three Advanced Placement classes and two honor classes to boost his GPA beyond the usual maximum of 4.0.

“He’s the smartest guy I know,” Linter said. “He’s probably going to be our valedictorian.”

The only bad part of having surgery during winter break is that he probably will sit out the soccer season because it will take weeks for his sternum to heal.

Beverly Hills (9-0-2) travels to Oxnard Rio Mesa for a quarterfinal football playoff game Friday. Charlston made sure the surgery would take place after the Division IV final Dec. 9 in case the Normans make it.

He’s a kicker who thrives under pressure, so he considers open-heart surgery a minor setback.

“People think I’m perfectly fine, but I know inside there’s something wrong,” Charlston said. “I’ve tried to be the best athlete with it.”

He can’t wait to see how far he can go with a healthy heart.