It was in 2007 that Steve Ware experienced the common, yet serious injury known as a “meniscus tear.”

The meniscus is the disk of cartilage between bones at the joint so the bones do not rub together.

Ware had a procedure performed in December 2007 to fix it and thought everything was going to be much better. He took a week off of work, using vacation time, so he could go to rehab. After that week, he still had swelling in his knee and had additional pain in other areas of his legs.

Upon having the knee checked out, a doctor said the knee needed drained. Ware said the moment the needle went into his knee and the syringe started filling with fluid, he was in a lot of pain. He said he felt pain in his chest and became short of breath later that day after dinner.

Ware, an early morning radio announcer, was worried because he made his money talking. He was to go to work that following morning and use his voice as he always did to entertain a large number of listeners in Iowa and Minnesota. Unfortunately, he was having difficulty breathing and went to the emergency room.

Upon arrival at the emergency room, a great number of tests were initiated. After about five hours, he started to feel better. The ER doc then decided to run another test on a whim. Ware was just a few hours shy of going on the air, as it was already nearly 2 a.m. when the doctor said there was a saddle pulmonary embolism in both lungs. This meant that ware had blood clots blocking arteries and the condition was life-threatening.

It was found that he had blood clots in his upper and lower legs. It only took 30 minutes before he was airlifted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester where he almost died.

Now Ware is on blood thinners and there is a screen inside of him to catch any blood clothes. He said the clots went through his leg, into his heart, and through both sides of his lung. Presently, Ware has to pace himself when doing anything that requires him to exert himself. He has difficulty lifting and he can’t walk or talk much without becoming short of breath. To help get his car out of the garage in the mornings so he can go to work, his wife has to lift the garage door. Doctors have not specified whether or not he will improve, yet ware has still been content with the situation and believes that he has been given more time on Earth for a reason.

It has not been said if there were any specific complications that occurred during the surgery that resulted in the blood clots or if any preventative measures could have been initiated.