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Imperfect HeartAuthor: Jeff Holden
Imperfect Heart is a podcast designed for, hosted by and recorded with those affected by or involved with the care and support for those with the birth defect of a Myocardial Bridge. Interviews with healthcare professionals, support professionals and those navigating their way through the often challenging process of diagnosis and treatment are the focus of the content. Its their stories that are meant to inform, educate and even entertain in an effort to insure hope for the listener that what they are experiencing is real, that they are not alone and that there is hope for relief from the varied symptoms of a Myocardial Bridge. The host, Jeff Holden, has his own story to tell from symptom to diagnosis to treatment thus giving him insight and empathy as well as experience in the process of advocating for the patient. The program also seeks to make the healthcare industry more aware of the real symptoms of Myocardial Bridges with an aim to eliminate the gaslighting that is so prevalent around this defect and directly address the reality that Myocardial Bridges may be responsible for many more deaths from sudden cardiac arrest than previously thought. Early diagnosis and treatment could not only improve but may actually save lives when properly applied. More information can be found on the podcast website, www.myimperfectheart.com. Language: en-us Genres: Fitness, Health & Fitness, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 62: Denied, Then Delivered: The Rest of Pete Furman's Story Post-Open Heart Surgery. How He MADE It Happen.
Monday, 15 December, 2025
When I first spoke with Pete Furman in Episode 36, his health was failing, his options felt limited, and the road ahead was anything but clear. He was living with a myocardial bridge, drug therapy wasn’t working, and insurance had just denied his preferred surgeon. Everything felt urgent — and uncertain.In this follow-up conversation, Pete returns to share what happened next.We talk about how he navigated insurance denial, found a local cardiac surgeon willing to listen and learn, and ultimately underwent open-heart surgery to fully unroof his myocardial bridge. Pete walks us through the questions he asked, the promises he insisted on, and how self-advocacy became a matter of survival.But this episode goes far beyond the operating room. Pete opens up about the emotional toll on his family, the anxiety leading up to surgery, and recording messages “just in case.” He also shares a surprising post-surgery discovery — that part of his ongoing struggle wasn’t his heart at all, but how he was breathing — and how retraining his body helped him reclaim strength he hadn’t felt in years.Today, more than a year after surgery, Pete is back on his bike, training again, and setting his sights on racing in 2026.If you’re facing a myocardial bridge diagnosis, wrestling with insurance, or wondering whether it’s possible to truly get your life back, this conversation is proof that it is — even when the path looks imperfect.Pete's Doctor in Arizona was Dr. Modesto Colon with Phoenix Cardiac SurgeryChapter Timestamps00:00 – Welcome Back & Where Pete’s Story Left OffPete returns to Imperfect Heart and recaps his diagnosis, failed drug therapy, and the critical decisions he faced after Episode 36.08:45 – Insurance Denial & Finding the Right SurgeonHow a denied robotic surgery led Pete to a local, in-network cardiac surgeon — and the questions that mattered most.24:30 – The Surgery Decision: Sternotomy vs RoboticWhy Pete chose open-heart surgery, what “fully unroofing” meant to him, and the promises he required before saying yes.41:10 – Fear, Family, and Facing the UnknownThe emotional weight of declining health, preparing his family, and recording messages “just in case.”57:40 – Recovery, Setbacks, and a Surprising BreakthroughPost-surgery struggles, breathing dysfunction, and how retraining his body changed everything.1:15:20 – Life One Year Later: Riding, Racing, and HopePete’s return to the bike, future goals, advice for others starting this journey, and why advocacy matters.
