Freeman: Blazers Assistant Kim Hughes' Near-Death Experience

Joe Freeman of The Oregonian has a haunting piece on Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes, who survived a near-death experience back in September.

[Hughes' wife] Christy rushed him to the emergency room. Doctors rushed him into surgery. Turns out his small intestine had folded over, was unable to function properly and, as a result, was dangerously enlarged. Much like a water balloon filled to capacity and poised to pop, Hughes' small intestine was on the verge of spewing poison throughout his abdomen. Initially, doctors tried a simple laparoscopic procedure that would been much easier on Hughes' body and drastically reduced his recovery time.

But during that procedure something went amiss, the intestine was punctured and doctors had to slice Hughes' abdomen and perform a more severe surgery. If the rupture had happened at his home, Hughes almost certainly would have died. Doctors told him he was 90 minutes away from death about the time he awoke Christy.

"They can't tell me how it happened, other than it's a dramatic situation and very, very dangerous," Hughes said of his medical ailment. "Usually - frequently - it results in death."

The full story is right here. Give it a read.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter