Ben Breedlove

The video above is part of a moving story about 17 year old Ben Breedlove, who died on Christmas day as a result of his heart condition. He also made a "part 2" video, describing his experiences "cheating death" on December 6th, 2011, and had a regular youtube broadcast channel.

Ben's suffered from HCM, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle thickens, preventing blood from leaving the heart as easily as it would in someone without the disease. Usually, the disease strikes young people most severely. The invasive side effects extend into every facet of a patient's life. Chest pain, dizziness, fainting, and shortness of breath made it impossible for Ben to live the life of a normal teenager.

When I came across this video I thought it was a terribly unfair burden for any person to bear at such a young age. Stories like Ben's are the reason we do research and raise money for heart disease. They show us that heart disease can impact anyone, at any age, no matter how healthy he or she appears.

Furthermore, his story made me thankful for my strong heart. It made me want to take care of it. I think the best way we can honor Ben is to ensure that we don't take our heart health for granted. Small changes in diet and exercise can yield such large lifetime benefits.

Ben's condition eliminated his option to have a healthy heart. We're lucky because many of us still have that option, and all we need to do is act on it.


Joanna