UCLA lineman Jon Gaines II inspired by his dad, who endures dialysis to see him play
LOS ANGELES — Traveling from his Wisconsin home to watch the son who bears his name play football requires a dreaded pregame routine. On the day before he eases into his Rose Bowl seat, Jon Gaines must endure four restless hours in what he's dubbed "the chair."
Two needles are inserted into his left arm, roughly three inches apart. One needle goes into a vein to extract blood and the other into an artery to return it after it's been cleansed of toxins and excess fluids.
Every time he feels the needle pricks, the father of UCLA center Jon Gaines II falls into an immediate funk.
"It's like a mini-five-minute depression," he said, "like, I still can't believe this is happening."
He snaps out of it after remembering this
