top of page

After heart valve surgery and heart attack, he came back to 'finish the run' | CPR First Aid

  • Writer: oliver591
    oliver591
  • Nov 9, 2020
  • 3 min read

Chad Lorenz survived heart valve surgery and a heart attack. (Photo courtesy of Chad Lorenz)


At 13, Chad Lorenz's life revolved around sports. There was flag football in the fall, basketball and ice hockey in the winter, and track and field in the spring.

During basketball practice, he found himself short of breath and struggling to keep up.

He struggled enough that his parents took him to the doctor. The expert's advice: He should never again play sports.


Chad was diagnosed with a condition called aortic stenosis. It means his heart's aortic valve, the opening through which blood flows from the heart to the rest of the body, didn't properly form at birth.


The doctor said he would be fine as long as he didn't push his heart. Devastated, Chad largely followed doctor's orders.


In his late 20s, Chad was living in Kansas with his wife and their daughter, Autumn. After so many years without heart problems, he decided to give running a go again.

"I didn't want Autumn to grow up living a sedentary life," he said. "I thought the best way was to lead by example."


Chad Lorenz (center) with his daughter, Autumn, and wife, Laura. (Photo by John McBride)

Chad laced up his sneakers and headed out for a 3-mile run.

"I made it about a mile," he said. "I kept doing it until I actually started feeling really good."


He and a friend found a short race to do together. Pushing himself felt good.

"All of a sudden, the fire I'd put out when I was 13 came back blazing," he said. "Maybe in my mind I was hoping I could beat out of me whatever I'd had."

Four years later, in 2014, Chad's job required a physical exam. Because of his medical history, he had an echocardiogram.


The next year, the doctor told Chad the results were worse than the year before, which were already bad.


A cardiologist ran a battery of tests and was puzzled that someone with a heart as bad as his could perform so well.


"It was like he'd been training in high elevation," his wife, Laura, said. "He had conditioned himself to work that much harder."


Chad was referred to a medical center in Kansas City. When he and Laura arrived for the appointment, a surgeon entered the room instead of the cardiologist they'd expected.

He told Chad that he needed open-heart surgery to replace the defective valve. Chad opted for a mechanical one.


"After the appointment, we got in our car and looked at each other and said, 'What just happened?'" Laura said.


The surgery went well, but recovery was tough, even for a well-conditioned 33-year-old.

It was "six months of awfulness," Chad said. His journey included depression and an unrelated problem in his back that required surgery.


He returned to running after six months but didn't feel the immediate improvement he expected.


In 2017, 20 months after open-heart surgery, Chad was 9 miles into a 10-mile run when his heart began racing and he felt lightheaded.


The next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital hooked up to machines. He'd had a heart attack; his left main artery was 99% blocked. Doctors believe the blockage came from scar tissue from the valve surgery.


The heart attack caused Chad to go into cardiac arrest. Luckily, a couple saw him fall. They performed CPR until first responders arrived.


As Chad recovered from the heart attack, he finally understood the difference people had been talking about.


"When I got onto the cardiac rehab treadmill, I felt the best I'd ever felt in my entire life," he said.


A year later, Chad, his family, a group of friends and the couple who performed CPR gathered to run FTR, or Finish the Run. They completed the final mile he hadn't the year before.


Chad Lorenz went on to "finish the run" one year after having a heart attack and cardiac arrest near the end of a 10-mile race. (Photo courtesy of Chad Lorenz)


Not only did Autumn catch the running bug, she's started throwing the javelin. She won a medal in the Junior Olympics. Chad, or "Coach Dad" as she calls him, coaches junior track and field and formed a track club in their hometown.


Chad ran in the American Heart Association's Wichita Heart Walk & F.A.S.T. 5K in both 2018 and 2019. Last year, he won the overall male category. (The 2020 event was virtual.)


"Now that I'm really feeling good, I'm getting back into sprints," he said. "Before I'm 40, I want to break the 2-minute mark in the 800. That would rank me nationally at my age level."


Learn more about CPR First Aid.



 
 
 

9 Comments


BFVY IRTO
BFVY IRTO
Feb 11

AV在线看 AV在线看;

自拍流出 自拍流出;

国产视频 国产视频;

日本无码 日本无码;

动漫肉番 动漫肉番;

吃瓜专区 吃瓜专区;

SM调教 SM调教;

ASMR ASMR;

国产探花 国产探花;

强奸乱伦 强奸乱伦;

Like

BFVY IRTO
BFVY IRTO
Jan 07

代发外链 提权重点击找我;

蜘蛛池 蜘蛛池;

谷歌马甲包/ 谷歌马甲包;

谷歌霸屏 谷歌霸屏;

谷歌霸屏 谷歌霸屏

蜘蛛池 蜘蛛池

谷歌快排 谷歌快排

Google外链 Google外链

谷歌留痕 谷歌留痕

Gái Gọi…

Gái Gọi…

Dịch Vụ…

谷歌霸屏 谷歌霸屏

负面删除 负面删除

币圈推广 币圈推广

Google权重提升 Google权重提升

Google外链 Google外链

google留痕 google留痕

Like

BFVY IRTO
BFVY IRTO
Dec 25, 2024

代发外链 提权重点击找我;

游戏推广 游戏推广;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Slots Fortune…

谷歌马甲包/ 谷歌马甲包;

谷歌霸屏 谷歌霸屏;

מכונות ETPU מכונות ETPU;

;ماكينات اي تي بي…

آلات إي بي بي…

ETPU maşınları ETPU maşınları;

ETPUマシン ETPUマシン;

ETPU 기계 ETPU 기계;

Like

WKDU TRBD
WKDU TRBD
Dec 19, 2024

google seo google seo技术飞机TG-cheng716051;

03topgame 03topgame

gamesimes gamesimes;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

Fortune Tiger Slots Fortune Tiger…

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

EPS машины EPS машины;

Fortune Tiger Fortune Tiger;

EPS Machine EPS Cutting Machine;

EPS Machine EPS and EPP…

EPP Machine EPP Shape Moulding…

EPS Machine EPS and EPP…

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding Machine

EPS Machine EPS Cutting Machine;

Like

WKDU TRBD
WKDU TRBD
Dec 17, 2024
Like

554 Boston Post Rd. Unit 1, Milford, CT 06460

12443 San Jose Blvd, Suite 303, Jacksonvillle, FL 32223

1136 Route 22 West. Suite 103, Mountainside, NJ 07092

3 West Main Street, Suite 208, Elmsford, NY 10523

171 Market Square, Suite 201, Newington, CT 06111

4 North Washington Ave. Bergenfield, NJ 07621

Wingren Plaza, 4225 Wingren Dr. Suite 210, Irving, TX 75062

147 West Merrick Road, 2F, 

Freeport, NY 11520

71 East Avenue, Suite T, Norwalk,  CT 06460

658 Newark Avenue,  Jersey City NJ 07306

5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 601, San Antonio, TX 78228

224-15 Union Turnpike, 2F, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364

2531 NW 41st. Street Bldg B, Gainesville, FL 32606

513 W Mt. Pleasant Ave. Suite 222, Livingston, NJ 07039

2171 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 195, Commack, NY 11725

W.Springfield, Massachusetts

181 Park Avenue, Suite 8,

West Springfield, MA 01089

Our Client Reviews

  • Facebook - Black Circle
  • Twitter - Black Circle
  • Google+ - Black Circle
  • YouTube - Black Circle
  • Pinterest - Black Circle
  • Instagram - Black Circle

HealthForce Training Center provides high-quality training and the latest American Heart Association programs customized for health and non-healthcare providers. Our mission is to provide a fun and stress-free learning experience that can equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to be confident with their medical care and emergency situations.

AHA Disclaimer: The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in BLS, ACLS, and PALS and has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA materials, do not represent income to the Association.

American Hearth Association
United States Flag icon
email icon
phone icon
1-866-CPR-9593
1-866-277-9593
debit/credit cards

© 2024 Synergy Healthcare International |Healthforce Training Center
 

bottom of page