“He’s my rock star.”

These are the words Liz Pinkey uses to describe her son Stephen Behun. She gave birth to him 17 years ago and right from his first breath, she was told he had a serious health issue.

Doctors diagnosed Behun with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - a rare birth defect that affects normal blood flow from the heart because that side of the heart did not develop normally during pregnancy. In Stephen’s case, one of the two ventricles that pump blood through the lungs and the body never developed.

The condition required Stephen to have three surgeries.

The first procedure was performed just 24 hours after his birth to reconstruct his aorta - the main artery of the body that supplies oxygenated blood to the body. A tube was placed to reroute the blood flow to the pulmonary arteries and to the lungs and a connection between the upper chambers of the heart was created.

The second surgery when Behun was five months old removed the original tube and replaced it with a new tube to maintain oxygenated blood flow.

The third operation took place when he was two-and-a-half years old and allowed blood to go straight to the lungs instead of mixing in the heart first.

A major decision

Liz and her late husband Stephen, who died in 2022, were told by doctors to not allow their son to do any strenuous activities and that included participation in competitive sports - unless that sport was golf. They said physical exertion could put additional strain on his already fragile system and lead to further complications.

“My husband and I decided that we didn’t want our son living his life in a bubble considering the issues and what his life span might be,” Liz explained. “We were certainly aware of the risks that any exertion he would put upon his heart, but we agreed that the best thing for him was to be as normal as any child, so we let him participate in certain sports with being careful as he could be.”

As a swimming coach of young children, Liz had Stephen’s feet in a pool when he was just a few weeks old.

“We wanted him to exercise to stay as healthy as possible,” she said, “and as a child unaware of his condition, we had to watch him.

“One time on the playground, he was running around and started to turn blue so we knew when it was time to stop and take a rest.”

Going for it

At three years old, Behun played soccer with careful monitoring. His mother also guided him back to the swimming pool for lessons when he was still a toddler. At age five, he began competitive swimming.

When asked if she feels anxiety when he competes, she replied, “Oh God, yes!

But at the same time, she said she is glad that they made the decision they did to let him get involved in typical childhood activities.

Although it can be nerve-racking at times, Behun’s accomplishments in sports and extra-ciricular activities has led to some extremely proud moments for his mom.

Swim star

Now, competing for Tamaqua High School’s swim team, Behun participates in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle, the 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

But Behun doesn’t just participate - he’s one of the team’s top swimmers.

A four-year member of the Blue Raider swim team, Behun has qualified for the District 11 Championships each of the past two seasons, earning three District 11 medals in the process. In 2022, he was part of a silver medal winning team in the 200 freestyle relay. In 2023, he earned bronze medals in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

Behun has taken his performances to an even higher level this season. Through seven meets, he has amassed 11 individual first-place finishes to go along with two second-place finishes and one third-place finish. He also has been a part of eight winning relay teams.

“Stephen has never allowed his physical limitations to define his ability to perform at a competitive level,” said Tamaqua swim coach Jen Paisley. “If anything, it has been the driving force behind his determination to push past those limits and defy the odds to see how far he can push his body outside of its comfort zone - while being mindful enough to know when it may be detrimental to his health.

"It’s a fine line to balance, and knowing how to handle it is a testament to his growth as an athlete and the maturity that has come with it over the many years he’s competed with the team.”

Seeing what Behun has overcome - and how much he has achieved over the years - is something Paisley said provides incredible motivation for everyone else on the team. “Stephen is a leader both in and out of the water, and pushes his teammates to find the best within themselves, just as he has done,” said Paisley.

Behun understands his limitations, but at times they do cause him some frustration.

“Like anyone else, once the competitive nature in me kicks in, I want to push myself as hard as I can,” said Behun. “But sometimes my body will remind me that I can’t do that.”

‘Even after all these years of dealing with it, I’m still learning how far I can push myself.”

Behun explained that since he can’t power his way through a race like most swimmers, he needs to perfect his technique. That means working on his starts and his turns in particular. Ten to 15 hours a week of training and practicing have produced some outstanding results.

In addition to the district medals and numerous first-place finishes, Behun is just one-tenth of a second away from the school record in the 50-free.

Despite all the success he has enjoyed, the competitor in Behun still isn’t satisfied

“I realize I have to find a balance, and not overdo my activities,” he said. “But sometimes I still wonder how much better I could be if I didn’t have limitations.”

There’s a lot more

Anyone who knows Behun would have a hard time believing that he has to “not overdo” the amount of activities he participates in.

Because Behun isn’t just a swimming star. He also plays on the Blue Raider soccer team in the fall, and in the spring he’s a long jumper and a hurdler on the track team.

When he’s not involved in athletic competition, he is the president of the Raiders’ acclaimed marching band, a senior class officer, and a member of the National Honor Society. He also recently became an Eagle Scout.

“Live life to the fullest,” said Liz. “That’s what I encourage my son to do.”

She stays aware that his condition might “change in a heartbeat” and require even more serious surgeries than the ones he had as a young child.

But for now, all is as good as it can be.

Behun’s most recent medical checkups have been very good as he winds down his senior year of high school and looks forward to attending college next year, where he plans to major in political science and pursue a law degree.

Behun has already defied medical science as he takes on everything the world has to offer - and he continues to prove that his physical handicap does not keep him from achieving whatever goals he sets out to accomplish.

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STREAKING … Both the Marian and Tamaqua girls basketball teams are currently in the midst of impressive win streaks. Through games of Monday, Jan. 8, the Fillies have won 10 straight, while the Raiders have captured seven straight. The Palmerton girls opened the season on an eight-game win streak, before suffering their first loss of the season last week. The Northwestern girls also recently had an eight-game win streak snapped. Among boys teams, Marian and Palmerton both enjoyed six-game win streaks earlier this season.

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TOURNAMENT TIME … The Colonial and Schuylkill Leagues are holding their respective individual wrestling tournaments this weekend. Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Panther Valley, and Tamaqua will compete in the Schuylkill League Tournament which will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m. in Jim Thorpe. Meanwhile, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern and Palmerton will travel to Catasauqua High School on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. for the Colonial League Championships.

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STAYING PERFECT … The Tamaqua girls’ swim team is a perfect 6-0 on the season, with half of those victories coming in the past week as the Raiders picked up wins against Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven and Salisbury in a five-day span between Jan. 2-6. Leading the way for Tamaqua have been Savannah Wilson and Lexi Buchala. In all three meets last week, Wilson grabbed first-place finishes in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke, while Buchala picked up wins in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

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PERFECT NIGHT ... Panther Valley’s Logan Fisher had a memorable night in Friday’s 80-65 victory over Weatherly.

Fisher not only set a career-high with 24 points, but he didn’t miss a shot the entire game.

The junior was 11-of-11 from the floor and made both his free throws. Fisher is averaging 8.2 points per game this season.

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DOUBLE FIGURES … Panther Valley’s Maddison Maynard and Palmerton’s Brayden Hosier are the only area basketball players to score double figures in every game their teams have played this season. Maynard has netted double digits in all 12 games for the Panther Valley girls, while Hosier has accomplished the feat in all 10 games for the Palmerton boys. Hannah Barry has only played in nine of the Palmerton’s 11 girls basketball games this season, but has hit double figures in every game she played.

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PERFECT ON THE MATS … Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley and Lehighton all took part in Lehighton’s Indian Duals over the weekend. The theme for several local grapplers was “perfection.” While none of the local programs went unbeaten in team results, several individuals walked away without a loss during a busy day of competition. Both Aiden Sterling and Stephen Korte of Jim Thorpe had 5-0 marks. Sterling recorded five pins in the 215-pound weight class, while his teammate posted three pins and received a pair of forfeits. Panther Valley’s Rory Dixon kept pace with the Olympian duo with a undefeated 5-0 mark. Competing in both the 152- and 160-pound weight classes, Dixson recorded one pin, two technical falls and a pair of decisions. Lehighton, which wrestled one less match than both Jim Thorpe and Panther Valley, had three wrestlers go a perfect 4-0. Evan Wentz (139 pounds, four pins), Reese Balk (285, three pins), Aidan Gruber (114, two pins) all had strong showings for the Indians.