About 11 years ago, Joke Gysel, a Belgian dentist, suffered a cardiac arrest while riding her bicycle with her daughter. This led her to restart BIPIB, a nonprofit organization in Belgium that helps provide information about pacemakers and ICDs.

Here, in this episode, Joke shares her story on what life has been like these past 11 years since her cardiac arrest.Show notes about this episode: https://heartwarriorproject.com/how-life-has-been-11-years-later-after-my-cardiac-arrest-joke-gysel/____🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.We offer some ⁠⁠awesome-looking merch⁠⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠⁠accept donations⁠⁠.You can find more information here:⁠⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/____TimestampsIntro 00:00 - 01:49Joke’s Cardiac Arrest Story 01:50 - 15:52 The Potential Cause of Joke’s Cardiac Arrest: The Story of her Brave Little Niece 15:53 - 27:19 A Family of Heart Warriors: Careful Screening Saves Lives27:20 - 33:50 Joke’s Life Today: Managing Stress and Emotional Well-being 33:51 - 40:28 Support The Heart Warrior Project 40:29 - 42:01 The Role of Cardiologists and Mental Health Professionals 42:02 - 44:16 The Importance of Rehabilitation Programs 44:17 - 46:33 Dealing with Anxiety and Panic Attacks 46:34 - 48:17Balancing Medication and Quality of Life 48:18 - 52:51 Restarting BIPIB: A Nonprofit for ICD and Pacemaker Wearers 52:52 - 59:09 Allowing Feelings and Trusting the Process 59:10 - 1:04:00 Moving Forward and Not Letting the Experience Define Your Life 01:04:01 - 01:06:56 Outro 01:06:57 - 01:08:08 Support The Hear Warrior Project 01:08:09 - 01:09:44

Douglas Rachac (better known as Doug), who is the moderator of several support groups for ICDs, a device patient, and a former Medtronic employee, answers various questions sent in by you, the listener, in this Q&A episode on the podcast of The Heart Warrior Project.

In this checkup conversation, I had the pleasure of welcoming cardiac arrest survivor Brooke Jones back to the podcast. These checkup episodes provide an opportunity for me to reconnect with guests who appeared on the show about a year ago, allowing us to catch up and see how they've been doing.

Show notes about this episode: https://heartwarriorproject.com/the-emotional-struggle-after-a-cardiac-arrest-brooke-jones-checkup/____🧡⁠Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project⁠🧡Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.We offer some ⁠awesome-looking merch⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠accept donations⁠.You can find more information here:⁠ ⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/⁠____Timestamps

Intro 00:00 - 01:15

Reflecting on the Past Year 01:16 - 03:46 

The Emotional Impact and Uncertainty of New Test Results 03:47 - 09:09 

The Importance of a Second Opinion 09:10 - 10:30 

Losing Trust in Your Body and Incessant Testing 10:31 - 14:49 

Current Emotional Challenges: Accepting Changing Plans 14:50 - 17:39 

Combatting the Feeling of Being a Failure 17:40 - 21:55 

Support The Heart Warrior Project 21:56 - 23:19 

The Constant Fear of What Might Happen 23:20 - 25:01 

Feeling Like a Burden 25:02 - 28:00 

Trust Issues and Feeling Unsafe 28:02 - 29:42 

The Potential Benefits of an ICD 29:43 -31:33 

Progress and Setbacks in Healing 31:34 - 33:17

The Strength and Resilience of the New Brooke 33:18 - 34:51

Being a Mom After Cardiac Arrest 34:52 - 37:30

Managing Anxiety Without Medication 37:31 - 40:51

Finding a Positive Spin on the Experience 40:52 - 42:08

Becoming a CPR Instructor: Turning a Cardiac Arrest into Something Meaningful 42:09 - 47:09

Unhelpful Pieces of Advice 47:10 - 51:19

It Will Get Easier: Final Pieces of Advice 51:20 - 55:25

Outro 55:26 - 56:50

Support The Heart Warrior Project 56:51 - 58:23

What question about ICDs would you like to ask Douglas Rachac? Let me know by going to the following link:

Djara Walgien, a fellow heart warrior from the Netherlands, who not only survived a cardiac arrest but also battled cancer a decade ago, endured a sudden cardiac arrest in his sleep after discovering his heart condition just 3 months prior. Luckily, his wife was there with him to save him—along with plenty of other people who soon came to his aid.____🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.We offer some ⁠awesome-looking merch⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠accept donations⁠.You can find more information here:⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/____Timestamps
00:00 - 02:29 Intro02:30 - 04:33 The benefits of a positive attitude 04:33 - 09:56 The story of Djara’s dilated cardiomyopathy diagnosis and his cardiac arrest09:57 - 16:44 The Dutch healthcare system: how it impacted Djara’s survival and care plan16:45 - 20:06 Djara’s ICD: how it works for him and how he feels about it20:07 - 26:46 Djara’s recovery process: physical and mental help and struggles26:47 - 29:20 Coping with an incurable condition: Djara’s perspective as a cancer survivor29:21 - 31:00 Cancer awareness versus cardiac health awareness31:01 - 34:49 The current treatment for Djara’s heart condition: types of medication and their daily impact34:50 - 36:23 Support the Heart Warrior Project36:24 - 42:40 The biggest challenges after the cardiac arrest: changes, uncertainty and restrictions42:41 - 44:44 Dealing with cancer and a cardiac arrest: mindset and having meaning44:45 - 46:31 How Djara involves his kids in the conversation about his cardiac arrest and ICD46:32 - 51:58 What Djara wishes he had learnt sooner: annoying ICD sensations and changing the device’s settings51:59 - 55:50 Getting an ICD shock: Jellis shares his experience and answers Djara’s questions 55:51 - 57:24 What helps Djara cope57:25 - 1:02:14 Current challenges1:02:15 - 1:06:53 Djara’s advice to other survivors 1:06:54 - 1:07:56 Outro1:07:57 - 1:09:07 Support the Heart Warrior Project

Dr. Sears is considered by many as the world authority on the psychological care and quality of life outcomes of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

He has published over 200 articles in medicine and psychology research literature and has well over 10,000 citations.

In 2021, Expertscape.com named Dr. Sears one of the top 50 experts / prolific authors in the world on implantable defibrillators over the last 10 years from amongst the 27,847 authors of the topic.

In this Q&A episode, I ask the questions that many of you sent me for Dr. Sears. We discuss a range of different topics: from dealing with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, to handling the fear of being shocked, making the outside world understand the difficult road we are on, and all the exciting advancements coming soon to ICD. And so many other vastly interesting topics Dr. Sears delves into in-depth.

Show notes about this episode: https://heartwarriorproject.com/dr-samuel-f-sears/

____⁠

📰A Newsletter for Heart Warriors⁠📰

This newsletter has zero intention of spamming you every week or so.

This is simply a newsletter if you’d like to get notified about any upcoming events (in-person and online), when there is a new podcast episode released, or when there is a health professional appearing soon on the podcast that you can ask a question to.

If that’s something you’d like, ⁠then sign up⁠: https://heartwarriorproject.com/newsletter/

____

🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡

Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project.

This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. 

However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.We offer some ⁠⁠awesome-looking merch⁠⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. 

If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠⁠accept donations⁠⁠.You can find more information here:⁠⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/⁠⁠.

____

Timestamps

• Intro 00:00 – 02:54
• Support The Heart Warrior Project 02:55 – 04:20
• Who is Dr. Samuel Sears? 04:21 – 08:23
• What got Dr. Sears into health psychology 08:24 – 11:51
• Recognising and distinguishing anxiety, PTSD and depression 11:51 – 22:54
• Taking care of mind and body after a cardiac arrest: the importance of cognitive behavioral therapy, a support network and exercise 22:55 – 28:33
• Regaining confidence 28:34 - 31:07
• Coping with anxiety or panic attacks 31:08 – 38:10
• Managing memory loss 38:11 – 41:15
• ‘You’re so lucky you survived’: Dealing with emotional invalidation as a survivor 41:16 – 50:18
• Celebrating small victories 50:19 – 52:28
• The special wisdom of heart patients 52:29 – 57:22
• Support The Heart Warrior Project 57:23 – 59:05
• Sharing your experience with loved ones: allowing for negative emotions to heal 59:06 – 1:09:50
• Unnecessary shocks: creating faith in your ICD and a sense of safety 1:09:51 – 1:21:51
• Building better communication with health care providers 1:21:52 – 1:30:47
• The future of cardiac rehab 1:30:48 – 1:35:00
• What survivors should know about the future of ICDs and cardiac health awareness 1:35:01 – 1:40:19
• Outro 1:40:20 – 1:43:42

Derrick Purdy had a cardiac arrest at the age of 17 while playing basketball. His mom, who was watching the basketball game, rushed toward him to perform CPR. Luckily for him, a retired paramedic was also at the basketball game and immediately went to get the AED.
Show notes about this episode:

https://heartwarriorproject.com/derrick-purdy/____

🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡

Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). 

In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. 

And I do it with a lot of love every day. 

However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.

We offer some awesome-looking merch, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. 

If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also accept donations.

You can find more information here: https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/.____

Timestamps

• Intro 00:00 - 02:33
• Support The Heart Warrior Project 02:34 - 04:42
• Derrick’s story: his cardiac arrest and survival 04:43 - 07:22
• The cause of his cardiac arrest 07:22 - 07:46
• Derrick’s struggles as a high-school senior after surviving an SCA 07:47 - 10:11
• How Derrick is doing today 10:12 - 11:10
• What changed after Derrick’s SCA: Basketball and the unexpected perks of beta blockers 11:11 - 12:46
• Derrick’s relationship with basketball: then and now 12:47 - 13:37
• How is life different with an ICD? 13:38 - 17:46
• Side or front facing ICDs: what’s the difference? 17:47 - 18:39
• The reaction of Derrick’s long-term girlfriend 18:40 - 20:23
• The possible advantage of short-term memory loss after an SCA 20:24 - 21:21
• The emotional effects of Derrick’s SCA on his loved ones and suffering a cardiac arrest on a livestream 21:22 - 24:04
• Derrick’s relationship with his mom today and dealing with the aftermath as a family 24:05 -27:29
• Support The Heart Warrior Project: Merch 27:30 - 29:02
• Derrick’s motivation to study Medicine 29:03 - 30:14
• Reconstructing the events of your own SCA 30:15 - 31:03
• Derrick’s 3rd rebirthday: thanking the paramedic who saved him 31:04 - 34:35
• The immense importance of AEDs 34:36 - 35:39
• Derrick’s positive experience with his cardiologist: don’t believe everything you read online 35:40 - 38:28
• How to overcome bad days 38:29 - 40:01
• Dealing with unsolicited advice as a young SCA survivor 40:02 - 44:28
• Living with not knowing cause of the SCA 44:29 - 48:27
• Last piece of advice from Derrick to other survivors 48:28 - 52:03
• Outro 52:04 - 53:51

*Note: Upon review, Dr. Adesina realized that he mistakenly stated, 'The higher the LDL, the lower the risk of heart blockages.' He acknowledged that it should be the opposite: 'The lower the LDL, the lower the risk of heart blockages.' This is just to make everyone aware of the correction and ensure accurate information is communicated :).*

In this Q&A episode on the podcast of The Heart Warrior Project, I invited board-certified cardiologist Dr. George Adesina to the answer questions you sent in. 

Dr. Adesina currently practices as a cardiologist at the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, Texas, and has been doing so since 2018. He completed his residency in 2014 and finished a cardiovascular diseases fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. 

Afterwards he served as an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas, before joining Kelsey-Seybold. 

His expertise lies in diagnosing and treating heart diseases, including congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart rhythm disorders, and heart failure.

Show notes about this episode: https://heartwarriorproject.com/dr-adesina-insights-on-sudden-cardiac-arrest/Connect with Dr. Adesina:⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/paging_dr.a/____A Newsletter for Heart Warriors

This newsletter has zero intention of spamming you every week or so. This is simply a newsletter if you’d like to get notified about any upcoming events (in-person and online), when there is a new podcast episode released, or when there is a health professional appearing soon on the podcast that you can ask a question to.

If that’s something you’d like, then sign up!____🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡

Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). 

In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. 

And I do it with a lot of love every day. 

However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.

We offer some ⁠awesome-looking merch⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. 

If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠accept donations⁠.

You can find more information here:⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/⁠.____

Timestamps

• Intro 00:00 - 03:51
• Why Dr. Adesina became a cardiologist 03:51 - 07:50
• What Dr. Adesina specializes in 07:50 - 10:18
• Q&A with Dr. Adesina 10:18 - 10:40
• Long-term effects of beta blockers 10:40 - 13:15
• Why is there so little awareness of sudden cardiac arrest? 13:15 - 18:05
• Are studies investigating a link between recent cases of sudden cardiac arrest and COVID-19 infection or vaccination? 18:05 - 22:37
• Support The Heart Warrior Project 22:37 - 24:22
• Myocarditis and heart failure 24:22 - 26:29
• What we can do to positively affect blood panels 26:29 - 32:43
• Lifestyle changes that positively affect the heart 32:43 - 37:40
• Why is it still a mystery why some people experience cardiac arrest? 37:40 - 41:00
• The various causes of angina 41:00 - 46:30 Why our body goes into fight mode after a cardiac arrest 46:30 - 51:40
• A few last personal questions for Dr. Adesina 51:40 - 51:58
• What's a common challenge for you as a cardiologist that patients may not realize? 51:58 - 54:27
• How can cardiologists and hospitals enhance patient care for sudden cardiac arrest survivors? 54:27 - 55:50
• Connect with Dr. Adesina on Instagram 55:50- 57:10
• Outro 57:10 - 59:00
• Heart Warrior Hoodie 59:00 - 1:00:04

What question would you like to ask Dr. Samuel Sears? Let me know by going to the following link: ⁠⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/experts/⁠⁠.

Every once in a while, I will invite a medical professional or a health expert to the podcast of The Heart Warrior Project to help you as a cardiac arrest survivor live a better life. Whenever a new professional or health expert is about to appear on the podcast, I will give you the chance to ask a question you’d like me to ask that person. On the podcast, I will always make an announcement when another expert is about to come on the show, so don’t forget to follow the podcast to stay notified.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of welcoming, for a second round, the first guest I had on this podcast! Cardiac arrest survivor and heart warrior Jamey Bowden survived a cardiac arrest while driving and was saved by his partner Alma.Show notes of this episode can be found here: https://heartwarriorproject.com/cardiac-arrest-while-driving-jamey-bowden/____

🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡

Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). 

In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. 

And I do it with a lot of love every day. 

However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.

We offer some ⁠awesome-looking merch⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. 

If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠accept donations⁠.

You can find more information here:⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/⁠.____🕒Timestamps of this episode 🕒

Intro 00:00 - 02:20

How Jamey has been since the last time we talked 02:20 - 08:30

Being in the hospital again 08:30 - 12:40

Having to stop work because of stress on the heart 12:40 -15:30

The importance of AEDs and CPR training 15:30 - 19:20

Dealing with memory problems, PTSD, and pushing the limits 19:20 - 21:20

Having to make changes in life 21:20 - 24:22

Mindset 24:22 - 27:40

The ups and downs 27:40 - 29:50

Having to take chronic medication and dealing with all the changes 29:50 - 33:45

Trusting in your ICD 33:45 - 39:05

Support The Heart Warrior Project 39:05 - 40:49

Being less harsh on ourselves and having a support system 40:49 - 46:15

Things that got easier for Jamey 46:15 - 50:23

Having less patience 50:23 - 51:50

Feeling gratitude 51:50 - 55:30

90% don't survive a cardiac arrest 55:30 - 1:00:30

Every step counts 1:00:30 - 1:05:20

Online resources for cardiac arrest survivors and co-survivors 1:05:20 - 1:11:41

Having a funeral for the old you who died 1:11:41 - 1:15:30

Be kind to yourself 1:15:30 - 1:16:38

Don't forget about your co-survivors 1:16:38 - 1:22:19 

Outro 1:22:19 - 1:23:25

Support The Heart Warrior Project 1:23:25 - 1:24:25