Mike Papale from In A Heartbeat | Surviving a Cardiac Arrest at Age 17

At the age of 17, Mike Papale survived a cardiac arrest while playing basketball. In an act to prevent more people from dying from a sudden cardiac arrest and spread more awareness on this topic, Mike started In A Heartbeat in 2015, a foundation which so far has donated 200 AEDs, raised $35,000 to research, trained 3,000 in CPR, and screened 4,000 hearts. Show notes of this episode can be found here: https://heartwarriorproject.com/mike-papale-surviving-a-cardiac-arrest-at-age-17/

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🧡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/⁠⁠.

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🕒Timestamps of this episode 🕒

Intro 00:00 - 02:48 Surviving a cardiac arrest at age 17 02:48 - 06:38 The importance of AEDs 06:38 - 07:20Being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 07:20 - 09:40 How it feels to get your ICD replaced 09:40 - 10:40 What the first few years of recovery were like 10:40 - 12:40 The medication Mike is currently taking 12:40 - 14:55 The first years are the hardest 14:55 - 19:56 Support The Heart Warrior Project 19:56 - 21:38 Life changes Mike had to get used to 21:38 - 22:51 In A Heartbeat Foundation 22:51 - 28:10 The medical setback Mike experienced 28:10 - 32:10 How Mike feels about all that has happened to him 32:10 - 33:07 Why Mike Started In A Heartbeat Foundation 33:07 - 36:00 Mike's book A Big Heart 36:00 - 39:25 What Mike wished his cardiologist had told him sooner 39:25 - 42:08 When you feel bad, sad, angry, etc. because of what happened 42:08 - 44:48 The lack of awareness around sudden cardiac arrest in young people 44:48 - 47:44 One last tip and advice Mike would give to other survivors 47:44 - 50:13 Outro 50:13 - 50:57 Support The Heart Warrior Project 50:57 - 51:57