Marquis Poole and his journey for a comeback
In 2011, Marquis Poole’s doctor diagnosed the then middle schooler with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a disease that causes the heart to have an extra electrical pathway. After a childhood full of basketball, Poole was forced to take a break from playing basketball for part of middle school, and again this past year for a heart transplant. Flash-forward to the commencement of 2016, Poole was found back on the basketball court just ten weeks after his surgery.
Although Poole’s doctors consider his recovery one of the fastest and most remarkable ones they have ever seen, Poole still feels side effects of the surgery. According to the young player, the side effects from the transplant are nothing compared to those of the medicine he was prescribed before the surgery. The medicine weakened Poole’s immune system, meaning some days he feels weaker than others, and he periodically experiences bad headaches and stomach pain. Poole states of the impact of the medicine, “Eventually these effects will all go away, but until then I just have to be a little more careful.” Poole can definitely notice a difference in his performance in basketball compared to before the surgery, stating that some days he can barely run up and down the court. However, the dissimilarities go deeper than the physical aspects. Poole says, “You can tell that I’ve lost a lot of experience and many skills that I used to have: like where to be on the court, my defense, and even the ability to dribble the ball at a higher level.”
On the last day of 2016, Poole was found on the court at the school’s holiday tournament. Taking his first shot after ten weeks, with a new heart pumping inside his chest, the roar of the crowd screaming and yelling his name gave Poole a feeling like no other. Looking back, Poole emphasizes not taking the things you love for granted, saying, “Even if you think you’ll never lose it or it’ll always be there, you cannot just take it for granted.” Coming back as a senior after doctors repeatedly told him that he would never play again was an unbelievable feeling. According to Poole, “I couldn’t be anymore grateful to have the chance to play my senior year.” Poole experienced something very few can relate to, and had a remarkable recovery afterwards allowing him to get back to the sport that he loves. The high school senior takes an optimistic approach to the future saying, “I had no expectations to play, so when I was allowed to play, why not give it my all one last time?”
Knowing that basketball has been such a big part of his life, Poole says in regards to participating in college basketball, “I plan to try to play as long as I can…but I do not expect to make it the first few years due to the time that I have lost and how out of shape I will be compared to everyone else.” Due to Poole’s love of the game, he continues to overcome the challenges his surgery brings every day.