Heart Surgery

Julieanne Papa noticed something odd during her 18-week ultrasound in late March 2011. It looked like her baby's heart had only two chambers. "Aren't there supposed to be four?" the Costa Mesa mother of two asked the technician. The following day, a...

In my life, I have watched a man walk on the moon, seen the fall of the Berlin Wall, and observed America twice elect a black man to the presidency. In Hawaii in 1999, I saw a chicken cross the road, and several years ago on Highway 152 in Northern...

The story of Jesse Sapolu could have been a sad memoir, a cautionary tale for the toughest of men. Simply put, Sapolu risked his life to play football. The choices he made against the reality of a heart defect could have served as a warning for...

The kicker in football is someone who doesn't always get a lot of credit. Sure, a game-winning kick is great, but more often the kicker is someone who is taken for granted at best and blamed for a team's troubles at worst. He's usually seen as...

Among the too many items on my desk is a photograph of Dr. and Mrs. Jerome Kay. Many years ago, the Kays provided me with the guidance I needed to become, for better or worse, the person I am today. Had I not known them, I could easily have wound up...

Amid the many booths of handmade and commercial jewelry and accessories, 13-year-old Ali Pfleger's booth, My Passion, blends in well. With her handcrafted beaded and wire necklaces, bracelets and rings, photo notecards and small key chains and...

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli has been named the Orange Empire Conference's Male-Sport Coach of the Year, as voted by conference administrators. "It's quite an honor," said Altobelli, who is in his 20th year. "It's always nice to...

The Vanguard University women's basketball team is only halfway through its Golden State Athletic Conference schedule. But the Lions (15-3, 9-1 in conference and ranked No. 9 in the NAIA) are just four days away from potentially determining their...

John Altobelli hits a switch in his new ballpark office and the view of the Orange Coast College baseball diamond reveals itself behind a retractable metal window. It's a new experience for the man who began his 20th season as the school's baseball coach...

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was resting comfortably at Hoag Hospital Thursday night after undergoing open heart surgery earlier to repair a weakened valve, said his brother, Tony Altobelli. John Altobelli, 48, preparing for his...

La Misión is a small, coastal Baja town. Well, actually, in reality three small communities make up the larger area called La Misión, population 920, according to the 2010 census. Most of the roads are dirt. There isn't a single stoplight, though there...

San Diego State is set to join the Big West Conference in several sports, most notably men's basketball, for the 2013-14 school year. The recent announcement was heralded enthusiastically by Big West officials, who are paid to be enthusiastic about...