Former basketball coach Barron “Coach Bear” Honea knows the importance of resilience on and off the court. He started his career as a college basketball coach before switching to restaurant management. For 12 years, he kept his passion for basketball alive by organizing high school and college basketball tournaments.
One of his toughest challenges came not from a rival team but from pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Honea will share his story Saturday, April 6, at the PHA Connects: PH Community Workshop in Houston. Join Coach Bear and other members of the PH community at the Westin Houston Medical Center to advance your PH knowledge, gain insight on the latest research and connect with the local PH community for support and resources. Register online by Monday, April 1.
Coach Bear’s keynote address will draw on his experience, as well as that of his cousin’s, who died of PAH-complications in 2020. Coach Bear was diagnosed a year later.
Honea will discuss his treatment at Houston Methodist, a Pulmonary Hypertension Association-accredited PH Care Center, as well as the care partnership he developed with his PH physician Sandeep Sahay. Honea credits the doctors at Houston Methodist for acting quickly to get him on the right therapies and for saving his life.
Sahay will co-chair the workshop with Nidhy Varghese of Texas Children’s Hospital.
After the workshop, join Coach Bear and the local PH community for the Houston O2breathe Walk Sunday, April 7, at TMC Helix Park. The fundraising event supports free PHA events like this community workshop.
