District champ Vester shows ‘metal’ for swimming

Not every swimmer at the state meet in Canton has had a metal bar in his or her chest.

Indian Hill High School senior Sam Vester, a state participant all four years, had one from the time he was 6 until he was 9.

From an early age, he noticed something physically different about himself. He also would tire easy playing soccer with his face getting beet red. “I had a dent in the center of my chest,” Vester said.

“It’s called a pectus excavatum. The surgery to fix that involves putting a metal bar in your chest for however many years they determine.” Fortunately, Vester’s family has a medical background. His father, Russell, is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. His grandfather, the late Dr. John Vester, was one of the first local television medical experts on WKRC-TV.