The whole story: Hanley's healed and hungry

Many football players would regard two-a-day practices in the middle of August as pure drudgery.

Then there is St. Viator senior Kyle Hanley.

"It's a lot of fun," Hanley said during last week's dog days of the preseason. "It's awesome."

The viewpoint is understandable considering the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Hanley will be starting at defensive end Friday night for the Lions in the battle for Arlington Heights bragging rights at Hersey.

And it's also understandable considering Hanley, who lives in Cary, missed the last two seasons as a result of a medical procedure to repair a hole in his heart.

"I really haven't seen him this excited about something in a long time," said Hanley's dad Mike. "He's really been excited about the whole thing."

Going from a freshman "B" team tight end and defensive end to a starter on a team defending a share of an East Suburban Catholic Conference championship is a feel-good story right there.

What makes it even more amazing are the health issues that affected Hanley, who didn't start playing organized football until the eighth grade for the Cary-Grove Junior Trojans.

"He's really surprised us," said Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick. "He's doing a good job for us, and we're happy for him to come back from that."

The odd part is Hanley was playing football, basketball and volleyball with no signs of trouble when he went for his physical at the beginning of his sophomore year.

Hanley was in the midst of preseason football practice when his mom Pamela happened to read a story about kids dropping on the field with heart conditions.

She decided to have her son checked out. The first eco-cardiogram came back abnormal but the doctors weren't overly concerned.

However, after a second exam a week later, an ultrasound showed a hole Hanley said was about the size of a quarter.

There was no family history of heart problems, although Mike Hanley said he was told by the doctors his son's problem isn't genetic.

"It's something that happens in certain people," Mike Hanley said.

Doctors told Kyle everyone is born with a hole naturally in their heart and the skin eventually closes up. But as Hanley kept getting older, his hole kept getting bigger.

Since it could potentially cause problems with other body parts later in his life, Hanley was scheduled for surgery in early September.

Just two weeks after his 16th birthday.

"At first I was nervous because it was the first real surgery I've ever had," Hanley said. "But when I talked to the doctors about how often it was done and how little recovery time there is, I was a little less nervous going into it."

The four-hour procedure at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago required a catheter and scope to go through the arteries in his legs to the heart. A device almost like a plug was inserted to fold out and clamp on to the skin of the heart.

Hanley was out of the hospital the next day and missed only two days of school. There would be no speedy return to sports.

Because of the size of the hole in his heart, a six-month layoff without any major physical activity was extended to a year. Hanley couldn't play basketball as a sophomore and had to watch last year's football season from the stands.

"It was really hard for him," Mike Hanley said.

"I had a lot of friends on the team and I'd talk to a lot of them and I really wanted to get released (medically to play)," Kyle said. "They were always talking about how much fun it was to play on varsity."

Hanley finally got cleared to start working out for football last winter and played varsity volleyball in the spring. There was some initial apprehension about returning but that didn't last long.

And Hanley hasn't noticed any adverse effects -- physically or mentally.

"Actually I've felt I have a lot more energy after surgery," Hanley said. "I don't even think about it that much."

What he will likely think about Friday night is all the support he's had from people such as defensive coordinator Bob Moynihan and assistant coach Fr. Dan Hall.

And how fortunate he is to be playing in such a marquee event. It's not something Kyle Hanley takes for granted.

"It's just a really, really great feeling to be part of a team, let alone starting," Hanley said. "It's hard to explain. It's awesome."