Einstein showed me you don’t have to live with AFib

There I was Saturday night at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia about to go on stage at the Einstein Healthcare Network Harvest Ball and thank the man who performed two heart ablations that enable me to live the life of a 20-year-old even though I'm much older.

In June of 2012, I went for a physical and was told I had something called atrial fibrillation, or AFib for short. An AFib causes the heart to beat out of rhythm. After trying something called cardioversion which didn't take, I was told we can manage the AFib by taking blood thinners and some other drugs. Living on medication was the last thing I wanted to do.

Enter Dr. Sumeet K. Mainigi, who is the Chairman of Cardiology and Director of Electrophysiology at Einstein Medical Center. I refer to him as the rock star AFib doctor . He examined me and said that I could either live with the afib and take the pills, but at my age and the shape I was in, I could try something called an ablation. That's where he goes into my heart and fixes it, I chose the latter.

The operation was performed in January of 2013 and lasted 6 hours. When it was over, I felt like a new man with newfound energy. I lost 30 pounds and was able to chase my then 7-year-old twin boys around the house and the playground. Life was great until the AFib returned in 2018.

At that time, I went back in for another ablation, only this time the operation only took about an hour and I've been great ever since. Now instead of chasing my boys around the playground, I'm out playing football with them. I feel like a kid again and I've got Dr. Mainigi and the team at Einstein to thank not only for my life, but for the quality of my life.

So last Saturday, when I was asked to speak at the ball, I wanted Dr. Mainigi up there with me so that I could thank him publicly. It felt so good to do so and to let you know that if you're dealing with atrial fibrillation, there are options. Einstein not only has them, but they did great by me and I would highly recommend them.

Einstein has a "Text to Give" campaign to help Einstein enhance cardiac care for the communities and patients they serve! They're looking for a million dollars and took in $15,000 that night. If you'd like to make a donation, text “haveheart” to 243725!

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