‘UK at the Half’: UK physicians tackle football coach’s life-threatening condition
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 24, 2025) — Shan Housekeeper, a college football coach, husband, and father of three, credits the COVID-19 pandemic and UK HealthCare with saving his life. During the postponed 2020 football season, he experienced frequent symptoms of tunnel vision and lightheadedness, which worsened over time and became impossible to ignore. A routine eye exam led him to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Emergency Department, where a CT scan with contrast revealed a life-threatening blood clot in his jugular vein and elevated pressure in his skull — five times higher than normal.
Under the care of a multidisciplinary team, including neurophthalmologist Padmaja Sudhakar, M.D., and neuro-interventionist Shivani Pahwa, M.D., Housekeeper underwent multiple treatments to address the blood clot and a related condition, an arteriovenous fistula.
Housekeeper’s health journey paralleled a new chapter in his coaching career as he became the head football coach at the University of the Cumberlands in December 2021. Now healthy with 20/20 vision and stable brain pressure, he reflects on his experience in this “UK at the Half.” Inspired by the lifesaving efforts of his medical team, Housekeeper has resolved to pay it forward by positively impacting others’ lives. His journey serves as a testament to resilience, teamwork, and the lifesaving power of multidisciplinary medical care.
Learn more about Housekeeper's journey here.
“UK at the Half” airs during halftime of each UK football and basketball game broadcast on radio and is hosted by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications and Marketing and Brand Strategy. To hear the “UK at the Half” interview, click on the play button above.
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