Jamie arrived and personally conducted Moning’s examination.
Kidney disease was his specialty—it fell under internal dicine, and more specifically, his expertise in tabolism.
After conducting a thorough examination of Moning, he discussed the condition with Chen Yu.
Flipping through Moning’s thick file of dical records, Jamie exclaid in surprise, "So it was him."
"Who?"
"Camille Reddy. He’s the deputy director of the University of Miami Hospital and a top expert in cardiovascular disease. I heard him present at a seminar in New York once. So he was the one in charge of Moning’s treatnt. No wonder his condition has been so well-managed," Jamie remarked.
Chen Yu hadn’t heard the na before, which made sense since it was a different dical field. But the University of Miami Hospital was, without a doubt, one of Miami’s top hospitals.
"But just managing it won’t be enough. With this disease, his condition will continue to deteriorate. Ultimately, there’s only one option: a kidney transplant. He must be on the transplant list, right? And have they done tissue typing with his relatives?" Jamie said, setting down the dical records.
Managent was one thing, but it wasn’t a cure. It couldn’t be cured. The only option was a kidney transplant.
They asked Moning, and he confird that he had.
To Chen Yu’s surprise, he even learned that Ewing had contacted Moning and offered to donate one of his kidneys.
’What a true friend.’
However, Moning hadn’t co today to discuss his dical condition, but to have his athletic ability assessed.
The clinic had a regulation-size basketball court.
When Chen Yu and Jamie arrived, Moning was chatting with Hardaway, who was in a wheelchair.
Naturally, Ronaldo, who loved being part of the action, was nearby as well.
Redondo wasn’t one for crowds, but Ronaldo was the opposite. If there was no excitent, he’d create so himself, especially now that he was mobile again.
"Greg, take Alonzo to warm up." Chen Yu had also asked Greg Davis to work so overti to help out.
He’d be compensated, of course.
Greg Davis imdiately started leading Moning through his warm-ups.
Hardaway rolled his wheelchair over and asked about Moning’s condition.
Falk and Riley also watched Chen Yu nervously.
Chen Yu knew what the two were hoping for. After a mont of thought, he said, "If he can pass the athletic assessnt, I can clear him to play."
’His physical condition seems to be well-managed.’
’The only question is whether strenuous exercise would cause his condition to deteriorate.’
Riley nodded again and again, a smile finally reaching his eyes.
’It’s in the bag!’
He wouldn’t have brought Moning here if they hadn’t run their own tests beforehand.
On the court, Davis was putting Moning through his warm-ups.
You could tell he was in great shape. He could run and jump, looking nothing like a patient with severe kidney disease.
’But this was just the beginning.’
Chen Yu had already instructed Davis to run the test at ga intensity—playoff intensity, to be exact.
Sprinting, sudden stops, catching, and shooting.
Before he could even catch his breath, Davis’s voice was in his ear again, urging him to run.
Sprinting hard to the corner, the ball flew toward him. He caught it and put up a three-pointer.
CLANK! The ball bounced off the rim and dropped through the hoop.
Even for a big center like Moning, he still had so three-point range in practice.
But whether the shot went in was irrelevant. The goal was to increase his exertion.
So after the shot, Moning imdiately did a full-court sprint and back, catching a pass to finish with a one-handed slam dunk.
Chen Yu watched silently from the sidelines, already getting a clear picture.
’It seems Moning never stopped training, even while he was sick.’
’With his condition, if he experienced systemic edema and weakness, training would have been excruciating. It would also have increased the strain on his kidneys.’
’To have maintained this level of fitness, he must have put in an incredible amount of effort.’
The test continued like this for over twenty minutes.
Davis finally called for Moning to stop.
Moning stopped and imdiately collapsed to the floor. He looked as if he’d just been pulled from a lake, his clothes completely drenched in sweat.
However, when he saw Chen Yu approaching, he quickly struggled back to his feet. Gasping for breath, he looked at Chen Yu with a questioning gaze.
"Alonzo, are you sure you want to get back on the court?" Although they hadn’t run the post-workout tests yet, with the help of the Eye of All-Seeing, Chen Yu could already tell that Moning’s kidneys were holding up; there were no major issues.
Moning nodded emphatically. "Chen, just clear to play. I’ve been on the sidelines for too long. I know my body’s condition, but if I can’t be on the court, then none of this has any aning."
He didn’t say anything as dramatic as he’d rather die than not play, but the sheer determination in his eyes moved Chen Yu.
"Let’s talk after we run the tests."
’They still had to follow procedure.’
Before long, they had the latest test results.
"He’s cleared."
Chen Yu looked at Riley and gave a confirming nod.
Riley’s face lit up instantly.
Moning was beaming as well.
"Take care of yourself," Chen Yu added as a reminder. Then he smiled politely and said, "I hope you guys do well in the playoffs and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals."
Last year, the Heat lost a heartbreaking 4-3 series to the Nicks in the second round. This year, facing the Wasp, they might go even further.
Riley thanked him again, his face breaking into a deeply wrinkled smile.
Everyone knew what Moning ant to the Heat. As head coach, Riley’s entire tactical philosophy revolved around the center, who initiated the team’s transition on both offense and defense. Without Moning, the Heat were screwed.
Moning’s group left in high spirits.
Jamie watched the car drive off into the distance and couldn’t help but sigh. "It’s a sha."
"A sha about what?"
Jamie pointed to the departing car. "I an Moning. Even if he eventually finds a donor, gets a transplant, and makes it through all the post-op complications, he’ll still only have one kidney. His athletic ability will never be the sa."
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