Heart Warrior Project: For cardiac arrest survivors & those at risk

Dr. Brian Peach is a critical care researcher with a special focus on post-intensive care syndrome, also known as PICS. You can leave your questions by going to this page: ⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/experts/⁠ Questions can be submitted until July 10, 2026.

In this episode, I share the five most important insights I’ve gathered over my 27-year journey of living with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, surviving a sudden cardiac arrest, and navigating life as a heart patient. Whether you are a fellow cardiac arrest survivor or someone living with a heart condition, I hope that at least one or two of these insights can make your journey as a fellow heart wa...

Sudden cardiac arrest survivor Elise van de Haar shares her story of what life has been like living with an ICD, and what her experiences were like receiving multiple shocks. This full conversation with Elise is part of an in-depth episode about ICD shocks, featuring multiple people who have experienced ICD shocks, so you can gain insight into how they dealt with them. Alongside this, Dr. Samuel S...

Help the heart of The Heart Warrior Project continue beating by supporting us: https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved In this episode, you're listening to a recording of our live Q&A meetup with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a consultant cardiologist at York Teaching Hospital in the UK. Besides his clinical work, Dr. Gupta also runs the YouTube channel York Cardiology , which has over 500,000 subscri...

Becca Travis , a sudden cardiac arrest survivor, collapsed in 2024 at the age of 24 while out for a run.  Today, she is preparing to run her first marathon, the London Marathon, to raise awareness of heart health and funds for the British Heart Foundation, supporting life-saving research, patient care, and CPR training, the skill that saved her life.  Inspired by her story and want to support this...

In this Q&A episode, I’m joined by Dr. Sanjay Gupta , Consultant Cardiologist at York Teaching Hospital in the UK. With nearly 28 years of experience, Dr. Gupta is passionate about doing healthcare differently — focusing on lifestyle, prevention, and empowering patients to understand their hearts without unnecessary fear. Beyond his clinical work, he shares clear, evidence-based, jargon-free h...

In this episode of The Heart Warrior Project , I sit down with Will, a fellow cardiac arrest survivor, to talk openly about something many ICD patients fear: receiving a shock. This is the full, in-depth conversation with Will about his recent ICD shock—what happened, what it felt like, and what went through his mind in those intense moments. This episode is also part of a larger, in-depth video a...

Love and dating can feel complicated after surviving a sudden cardiac arrest, living with heart disease, carrying an ICD, taking medication, or navigating physical limitations. Quiet doubts can begin to surface: Will someone still choose me? Will I be rejected because of what I’ve been through? Am I still enough? In this episode, I reflect on what I’ve witnessed firsthand through countless convers...

Dr. Sanjay Gupta , a consultant cardiologist at York Teaching Hospital in the UK, with a specialist focus on cardiac imaging, lifestyle medicine, and patient empowerment, is joining the podcast in a couple of days for a Q&A episode. What questions do you have for Dr. Gupta on cardiac imaging, lifestyle and patient empowerment, or medications — benefits vs side effects? You can leave your quest...

If this episode was helpful, consider supporting The Heart Warrior Project through merch, donations, or become a Heart Warrior Patron. 👉 https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/ After leaving the hospital, we don’t receive a manual on how to cope with the mental load of living with an ICD, or what to do if a shock occurs. That’s why I created this in-depth video/podcast episode, where members...

I sincerely hope The Heart Warrior Project has been a source of support for you — and that it can continue to be one. I care deeply about making The Heart Warrior Project better, and I want to do this together with you. You can find the feedback form via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf40ScqfcMFtABRXSXeXVma6_04zUegCxUTGzrcyXjku443gA/viewform?usp=header It’s completel...

In this conversation, I talk with George Biesmans, a fellow heart warrior from our community, to discuss the complexities of living with heart disease and the progressive heart disease he has, DSP cardiomyopathy. George shares the emotional impact of the diagnosis, the uncertainty of the condition, and the challenges of navigating relationships and life in general. If, after this episode, you’d li...

If you’d like to learn more about living with heart disease, check out the full episode, where George, Karen, Dr. Sears, and I share insights on navigating that journey: https://youtu.be/P3ipXCvSfo8?si=0PmbtWNHal4wqXLb Karen, a fellow heart warrior and member of our community here at The Heart Warrior Project, shares in this conversation her journey of being diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyo...

Help me keep The Heart Warrior Project alive: https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/ In this episode, I share what I’ve learned from over 20 years of living with heart disease. I’m joined by two wonderful members of our community, Karen and George, who were only recently diagnosed, as well as Dr. Samuel Sears, a clinical health psychologist, who offers his heartfelt and professional insights...

Show notes can be found here: https://heartwarriorproject.com/living-with-an-icd-douglas-rachac/ ____________ ❤️Help Me to Keep The Project Alive! ❤️ If you found this video/episode helpful, consider supporting this project to keep it going and to allow me to continue creating more content. You can donate, become a member, or browse our merch through the following link: ⁠https://heartwarriorprojec...

❤️Help Me to Keep The Project Alive! ❤️ If you found this video/episode helpful, consider supporting this project to keep it going and to allow me to continue creating more content. You can donate, become a member, or browse our merch through the following link: https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/ 🙏 Thank you, truly, for supporting this project! ❤️💪 ________ Chaya Chana, a family and re...

Paige Arnone—yoga teacher and founder of Firstgevity , a health and wellness business dedicated to first responders, who has also been working more with SCA survivors—joins us in this episode to dive into a topic that affects so many survivors: stress and anxiety. Since stress and anxiety are common challenges for SCA survivors and those with an ICD, I wanted to dedicate this episode to exploring...

This episode offers a deep dive from someone who has undergone four ablations. I share my experience of going through this procedure under both general and local anesthesia, offering insights, tips, and what you can expect. In between, Prof. Dr. Johan Saenen will explain the technical aspects of the procedure. Dr. Saenen is a cardiologist specializing in invasive rhythmology, hereditary heart dise...

Axel Verstael, a fellow SCA survivor, shares part of his SCA journey in this episode—from receiving eight shocks to being diagnosed with two heart diseases: Brugada Syndrome and ARVC (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy). Despite all the challenges and obstacles Axel has faced, he is one of the most optimistic and positive people I know, truly making the most of this second (or eighth)...

In this Q&A episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming two cardiac health experts: Prof. Dr. Saenen, a cardiologist (he’s actually my cardiologist!) and specialist in invasive rhythmology, who is also an expert in hereditary heart diseases and the prevention of sudden cardiac death; and Prof. Dr. Loeys, a clinical genetics specialist, who is the head of the Medical Genetics Center and t...

Psychologist and cardiac arrest survivor Joe Fisher returns for a check-in episode to share how life has been a year after his last appearance on the show, as he continues his SCA journey. Show notes about this episode can be found here: https://heartwarriorproject.com/psychologist-and-cardiac-arrest-survivor/

For more details about the online meetups, visit: https://heartwarriorproject.com/online-meetup-for-cardiac-arrest-survivors/ This is a semi-short, personal video to say thank you for being a part of The Heart Warrior Project. Throughout this project, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting so many incredible and inspiring fellow survivors (and co-survivors), hosting monthly meetups with fellow SCA...

For about four years now, I have been living with an ICD implant, which I received at 28 years old after surviving a sudden cardiac arrest. As a young person, I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I hope this video, containing all the advice and tips I’ve gathered over the years, can be useful to you. RESOURCES: Episodes mentioned: In-Depth Q&A About ICDs: Former Medtronic Employee, Dou...

What question would you like to ask Dr. Saenen and/or Prof. Dr. Loeys? Let me know by going to the following link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://heartwarriorproject.com/experts/⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Every once in a while, I will invite a medical professional or a health expert to the podcast of The Heart Warrior Project to help you as a cardiac arrest survivor live a better life. Whenever a new professional or health expert is ab...

Dr. Samuel Sears, a leading clinical health psychologist known for his work with ICD patients and cardiac arrest survivors, returns to The Heart Warrior Project podcast for another Q&A episode. We covered topics suggested by listeners, including recent ICD research, trauma treatment options, new technologies, support for family members, and ICD-related insecurities. This episode offers valuabl...