By LARRY BONKO
The Virginian-Pilot
- 8.30.06
Rudy Boesch, the highly decorated former Navy
SEAL who became instantly famous on the first
"Survivor" reality show six years ago, says he is
recuperating nicely after recent open-heart surgery.
Boesch, 78, a fitness nut from Virginia Beach,
feels strong enough to do physical therapy. "I started real
easy," Boesch said.
A doctor who was administering a routine
stress test saw trouble ahead for Boesch, whose friends and
family considered to be pretty much indestructible.
He served 45 years in the Navy, retiring in
1990 as a master chief petty officer.
After the stress test, doctors hustled him
into surgery for a triple bypass procedure.
Before the test, Boesch experienced no
symptoms of heart trouble. He had been playing racquetball with
no pain or strain just days before the operation.
"After I took the stress test, the doctor
said he found a problem that I better take care of soon. When I
asked how soon, he said 'right now,' " recalled Boesch, who
finished third on "Survivor: Borneo" to Richard Hatch
and Kelly Wiglesworth.
Hatch, the million-dollar winner, is in prison
after being convicted in May of income tax evasion. Boesch, who
won $85,000 on "Survivor," made certain that the U.S.
Treasury got its share, which he says was darn near half his
winnings.
