From: Kerry Knoll

Sunday, 5:26PM

September 1st, 2024

Las Vegas, NV

Dear Heart Condition Fighter,

I recently turned 48 years young on 3/14/2024...

I've been working out (and playing basketball) for the past 33 years despite following in Arnold Schwarzenegger's footsteps by being born with a bicuspid aorta.

In fact, I had my first "Ross" procedure (open-heart surgery for those who don't know) two years after Arnold in May 1999 at The Heart Institute of Montana in Missoula Missouri by Dr. Oury, who at the time was one of the few heart surgeons to do over 200 "Ross's" in the United States.

And to be completely honest, I was only 23 at the time and scared about going through with it...

But I knew that if one of my childhood heroes had to go through it, so could I!

So eventually after going through the grieving process (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), I wore it as a badge of honor.

After all, I was just a young man from central Wisconsin trying to get my life in order after graduating from college.

So my mother and I flew out to Missoula.

The surgery went smoothly and was a success...

Luckily for me, everything went as planned and I was in and out of the hospital in 3 days flat!

My doctors and nurses said that I was able to recover so quickly due to the fact I was in such great shape.

Because all I heard about leading up to the surgery was how sore my back was going to be apparently from you know, opening up your rib cage! (I apologize if that paints a horrific picture in your mind.)

I couldn't wait to get past those first 6 weeks of recovery and back into the gym!

As Arnold can probably attest, it's like starting over!

But you gain your strength and size back fairly quickly, especially when you're consistent and have a vision!

Fast forward to March 2014 for operation, "Open Heart 2" - the sequel, starring yours truly!

Unfortunately (or fortunately however you view it), my first open heart and valve only gave me 15 years... unlike someone I know who got 20 out of his! ;-)

This time around, I was in great hands again with Dr. Ciccolo at Sunrise Children's Hospital in good ol' Las Vegas, Nevada...

Of course you can only do the "Ross" once and then it's just a normal valve replacement procedure thereafter.

This time around I wasn't quite as lucky as I was hospitalized for 10 days, spending my 38th birthday in the ICU...

As soon as I was out, I started to countdown the days until I could get back into the gym and start lifting those 10lb dumbbells and moderately riding the stationary recumbent bike!

In fact, at exactly the 6 week mark, I played in my first Ultimate Hoops men's league basketball game since prior to surgery and somehow managed to hit 12 3's and score 38 points! You can check out the box score below...

https://leagues.uhlife.com/boxscore.aspx?RegionID=10&ScheduleID=28865&SeasonDivisionID=1339&TimePeriodID=3

By the summer of 2015 at the age of 39, I had the best season of my life all thanks to a new valve and getting back into basketball shape!

I averaged 30.7 ppg, 7.4 rebs, 6.4 asts, on 47% FG, 43% 3FG, and 86% FT.

It's amazing what a new valve can do!

Six years later, I had found that no matter how much I was training for basketball (running ladders, suicides, wind sprints, etc.), I just couldn't get in the shape I had been accustomed to.

So at my next Cardiologist appointment, Dr. Rothman determined that my pulmonary valve had collapsed to the size of what you would find in a 5 year old!

Now, I'm no Arnold, but I am 6'3" 215lbs!

It was no wonder I couldn't catch my breath!

Then in October 2020, I had my first pulmonary valve replaced via a transcatheter to the appropriate size of 23mm for an adult of my stature.

But again, 6 more weeks of no lifting to eventually light, light, light lifting!

I came back once again to continue working out and playing basketball at the ripe old age of 44!

Unfortunately, within the next 2 years I started having some very scary moments where I thought I was going to syncope (pass out) primarily while playing basketball and then eventually while doing intense workouts on the

Terra Core and even while I wasn't working out and driving!

I have to say there's nothing more frightening than worrying about passing out while driving, especially with loved ones in the car with you!

But I was always able to avoid it from happening...

That was until one day in August 2022.

I had just gotten done working out as I normally do...

Got home and was sitting at my desk talking with my mother and felt it coming on...

I told her, "Just give me a minute..." and before I knew it, I was gone... she was shaking me at my desk saying, "Kerry, Kerry, are you alright?"

That was the moment that I had my first official syncope.

And that was enough to go see my Cardiologist right away...

Dr. Rothman saw my irregular heart beats on the EKG and referred me to my Cardiac Electrophysiologist (Arrhythmia Specialist), Dr. Samson.

Dr. Samson ran some additional tests and determined I suffer from all five main types of arrhythmias...

But the one they were most concerned with was the V-tach (ventricular tachycardia), the most dangerous one of them all.

So they initially prescribed a beta-blocker, Atenolol at 25mg per day and wanted to have me go through my third cardiac catheterization.

My Cardiologist would check the "plumbing", while my Cardiac Electrophysiologist would check the "electrical."

At the time the "plumbing" was all intact and good to go... (Thank God!)

However, the "electrical" was not... In fact, they were able to easily induce a V-tach WITHOUT adrenaline being administered.

So after the testing, they informed me that due to my age I was a prime candidate for a S-ICD (Subcutaneous Inner Cardiac Defibrillator) and they wanted to up my dosage of Atenolol to 50mg per day.

On December 29th, 2022 (my 17-year marriage anniversary), I went in for surgery to get the S-ICD "installed."

Again, another 6 weeks without too much activity (no real weights or biking).

Ironically enough, Arnold recently had to get a pacemaker installed...

I feel like we're simpatico, almost brothers from another mother if you will! ;-)

Things were pretty good for the first 15 months after the S-ICD surgery...

But this past spring in March 2024 I started having some severe fatigue with with tightness in my chest and feeling like I was unable to catch my breath when walking into the gym and up a couple flights of stairs...

For some reason and somehow, my aortic valve leakage went from mild to moderate in March to moderate to severe by August 2024.

So my third aorta valve replacement is imminent...

The only question is will be they be able to do a TAVR (Transcatheter Aorta Valve Replacement) or will it have to be an other open-heart?

Either way, it will be 6 more weeks after surgery without too much activity again.

I wanted to share my story primarily to let you all know that there is nothing that you can't do or achieve if you put your mind to it!

I can't stress it enough that it's 100% about mindset... Mind over matter - there's no doubt about it!

I wish something like this would have existed when I was younger and was first diagnosed with my heart murmur (congenital heart disease) at 10 years old...

And then at 16 years old when I was told that I would eventually have to have surgery sooner rather than later...

However, what I did not know is that it would be 7 years later before I had to go under the knife for the first time.

Can you imagine what it's like to have your first surgery be for open heart?

I mean, surgery is scary enough, but open heart?!

That's like the equivalent of winning the lottery! (but obviously not in a good way)

That's why I'm about to start this non-profit organization called "Your Heart, Our Cause" that will be focus on young athletes, primarily children (and their parents) ages 6 - 17 and young adults ages 18 - 29 who have some sort of heart disease (i.e. bicuspid aorta, arrhythmias, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), etc.).

Of course any age would be accepted, even if you're 76 years young!

The mission is to help young athletes who are active in sports cope and deal with discovering that they have heart disease.

The plan is to build a community of like-minded people through a podcast and by other means as well to help bring more awareness about heart disease and how to live a full normal life which includes sports and other physical activities.

And my hope is that one day Arnold will be one of my guests for our podcast!

Arnold, If you should ever happen to read this...

It would truly be an honor and a privilege, Sir!

Thanks for reading and for your consideration in supporting our organization.