LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, New Jersey -- As a 15-year-old, Sean Binning enjoyed diving for sport and hanging out with friends. But his life changed on March 5, 2019.What Binning thought was a migraine turned into much worse when he collapsed. A trip to the hospital revealed that he had a ruptured brain AVM, or arteriovenous malformation. He was born with it but never knew. He was immediately sent in for emergency surgery.
Three years and three brain surgeries later, Binning is back in action. But he had to rediscover the most basic parts of life before returning to the board. Binning, now an 18-year-old, left his hometown of Annandale, Virginia, to join the Rider University Men's Swimming and Diving Team. In February, he helped the team become Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions for the 10th time in a row.
"It's all because of my coach, my parents, my teammates just pushed me through it," said Binning."I didn't think I would get this far. I just enjoy the sport. So I'm going to see how far I can go."