PeopleBeatingCancer

Our Mission

PeopleBeatingCancer supports an evidence-based integrative approach to cancer care. For most newly diagnosed patients, FDA-approved therapies form the foundation of treatment, while evidence-based complementary therapies may help reduce side effects and improve survivorship.

Click the orange button to the right to learn more.

Learn More

Athletes Living With Marfan Syndrome: When Passion Meets Prevention

Share Button

Athletes Living With Marfan Syndrome: When Passion Meets Prevention. Athletes with Marfan syndrome have inspired millions while teaching an important lesson about heart health. Learn their stories, current exercise recommendations, and how people with Marfan syndrome can stay active safely.

I am a long-term survivor of an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma.  I am also a Marfan syndrome survivor. MS and athletics, or how much MS patients can exercise, is of interest to me. While I was by no means a professional athlete, I participated in high school and college sports.

I myself exercise moderately, daily, and I encourage my son to exercise daily too. What are the risks? Benefits?

Scroll down the page and post a question or a comment if there’s anything you’d like to know about breast cancer.

Good luck,

David Emerson

Ascending Aortic Aneurysm 

Medically BANNED from the NBA? Isaiah Austin & Marfan Syndrome

Can You Be an Athlete With Marfan Syndrome?

Yes—but it depends on the individual, the sport, and the condition of the heart and aorta.

Marfan syndrome is an inherited connective tissue disorder that affects approximately 1 in 5,000 people. It commonly involves the:

  • Heart and aorta
  • Eyes
  • Bones and joints
  • Ligaments
  • Lungs

Because connective tissue provides strength to the body’s blood vessels, people with Marfan syndrome have an increased risk of aortic enlargement and aortic dissection, especially during activities that produce large spikes in blood pressure.

Fortunately, modern diagnosis, imaging, medications, lifestyle modification, and preventive surgery have dramatically improved life expectancy.

Athletes Who Have Lived With Marfan Syndrome

Isaiah Austin

Perhaps the best-known modern athlete with Marfan syndrome is former Baylor basketball star Isaiah Austin.

Standing 7-foot-1, Austin was projected as an NBA draft pick until routine pre-draft screening discovered previously undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.

Rather than entering the NBA immediately, he began treatment and later returned to professional basketball after medical clearance in selected settings. His story helped educate millions about the importance of cardiovascular screening in tall athletes.

Lesson: Sometimes a diagnosis saves a life.

Flo Hyman

Olympic volleyball legend Flo Hyman won a silver medal for the United States in the 1984 Olympics.

In 1986, while playing professionally in Japan, she died suddenly from an aortic dissection. An autopsy revealed previously undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.

Her tragic death transformed awareness of the disorder and remains one of the reasons physicians carefully evaluate unusually tall athletes today.

Nick Vogel

Former UCLA and U.S. National Team volleyball player Nick Vogel continued competing at an elite level before ultimately learning he had Marfan syndrome.

His diagnosis illustrates an important point:

Many athletes appear perfectly healthy until specialized cardiac imaging detects enlargement of the aorta.

Why Are Tall Athletes Sometimes Screened?

Sports like:

  • Basketball
  • Volleyball
  • Swimming
  • Rowing

often attract athletes who naturally have:

  • Long arms
  • Long legs
  • Tall stature
  • Flexible joints

These characteristics can resemble Marfan syndrome, but being tall does not mean someone has Marfan syndrome.

Researchers studying elite volleyball players found that careful cardiovascular evaluation and, when appropriate, genetic testing can identify previously unrecognized inherited aortic disorders before catastrophic complications occur.

Exercise Is Still Important

Years ago, many physicians simply advised patients with Marfan syndrome to avoid exercise.

Today, experts recognize that regular, moderate physical activity provides important health benefits, including:

  • Better cardiovascular fitness
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Improved mental health
  • Stronger muscles
  • Better balance
  • Improved bone health
  • Higher quality of life

The challenge is choosing activities that minimize stress on the aorta rather than avoiding exercise altogether.

Activities Often Considered Lower Risk

Depending on your cardiologist’s recommendations, lower-intensity activities may include:

  • Walking
  • Hiking
  • Recreational cycling
  • Golf
  • Doubles tennis
  • Bowling
  • Swimming at a moderate pace
  • Yoga (modified)
  • Light resistance exercise

Individual recommendations depend upon:

  • Aortic diameter
  • Prior aortic surgery
  • Valve disease
  • Blood pressure
  • Family history
  • Previous dissection

Never assume an activity is safe simply because someone else with Marfan syndrome performs it.

Activities That Often Require Restriction

High-intensity or contact sports may increase stress on the aorta.

Examples include:

  • Heavy weightlifting
  • Football
  • Rugby
  • Wrestling
  • Competitive basketball
  • Competitive soccer
  • Boxing
  • Sprinting
  • High-intensity interval training
  • Powerlifting

These recommendations should always be individualized by a physician experienced in inherited aortic disease.

The Importance of Early Diagnosis

Many athletes receive their diagnosis after:

  • A sports physical
  • An echocardiogram
  • Evaluation of a heart murmur
  • Family history
  • Eye examination
  • Imaging for another reason

Early diagnosis allows physicians to:

  • Monitor the aorta
  • Prescribe medications that reduce aortic stress
  • Recommend safe exercise
  • Perform preventive surgery before emergency complications occur

This dramatically improves long-term survival.

Living an Active Life With Marfan Syndrome

Having Marfan syndrome does not mean giving up physical activity.

Instead, it means learning:

  • Which exercises are safest
  • How hard to exercise
  • When to stop
  • How often to undergo imaging
  • How to recognize warning symptoms

Many individuals with Marfan syndrome lead active, fulfilling lives by partnering with experienced cardiologists and following individualized exercise plans.

My Perspective

As someone living with Marfan syndrome, I understand the desire to remain active while protecting the heart and aorta.

Exercise remains one of the most powerful tools for improving health—but exercise must fit the disease, not the other way around.

Learning from athletes like Isaiah Austin, Flo Hyman, and Nick Vogel reminds us that awareness saves lives. Their stories have helped countless patients receive earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and safer guidance about remaining physically active.

Key Takeaways

  • Marfan syndrome does not automatically prevent an active lifestyle.
  • The greatest athletic risk is stress placed on an enlarged or weakened aorta.
  • Early diagnosis has dramatically improved outcomes.
  • Exercise recommendations should always be individualized.
  • Moderate aerobic exercise is often encouraged, while heavy isometric exercise and collision sports frequently require restriction.
  • Athlete stories have increased worldwide awareness of Marfan syndrome and the importance of cardiovascular screening.

Research

To learn more:

Marfan Pillar Pages

Related Cancer Survivor Content

Leave a Comment:

Popular posts

Multiple Myeloma Diet
 Multiple Myeloma Multiple Myeloma Diet
Feb 15, 2022
Multiple Myeloma Second Opinion: 7 Questions Every Newly Diagnosed Patient Should Ask
 Multiple Myeloma
Nov 04, 2022
C-B-D Enhances Velcade (BORT)
 integrative therapy Multiple Myeloma
Aug 07, 2022
Can Endometrial Polyps Become Cancer? What Women Need to Know
 Endometrial Cancer
Nov 14, 2021