I am riding for my husband, Chad. Chad was diagnosed with Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (an enlarged portion of his heart) when he was only 32 years old. It was pretty scary to hear at that age with 2 small children he has a genetic condition and that it was serious enough to require open heart surgery. Not only was it serious for Chad, but it is genetic and there is a good chance our kids can develop the same condition. We went to the Mayo clinic over Thanksgiving in 2011, and went through the surgery, which we were lucky enough to have an amazing surgeon and were clear, for a while.
Just a few years later, Chad started having some issues which required the placement of a defibrillator to pace/shock his heart should anything go wrong, in addition to further medications.
Over the last year and a half, Chad started to have more atrial fibrillation issues, and had the scariest day when his device proceeded to shock him multiple times one morning. After a weekend in the hospital we discovered his medicine was no longer working, and the only solution likely was to have yet another surgery.
Today he is doing great, but it is a journey that we will continue to travel. Not only for Chad, but having our kids screened every couple years to rule out any possible development of the condition. We are thankful for the medical advances that have allowed Chad to have better quality of life, and the ability to make sure my children do not have to go through the same issues as Chad.
That is why I participate in CycleNation every year and to help raise money so we can do everything in our power to help anyone else impacted by heart disease and stroke.
Thank you in advance for supporting me with a donation today. Together, we have the power to stop the cycle of stroke and heart disease!
