Personal Perspective: Mike Papale
Changing the world one heart at a time
When 17-year old Mike Papale collapsed while coaching basketball camp, luck was on his side. Had a volunteer EMT not been working in the building next door that morning, his story could have been tragic. Today, he lives a healthy lifestyle in spite of a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) diagnosis, and he works hard to prevent others from having similar life-threatening situations.
Playing college basketball was my dream, and I worked hard at it. I trained at a high level and was very healthy. I had no signs, symptoms or family history of heart disease that I knew of, no red flags that might indicate a health issue. That’s what made what happened on August 24, 2006, so unreal.
During the summer before my senior year in high school, my brother, best friend and I coached at my dad’s basketball camp. After our regular 6 a.m. workout, my brother and I headed to the gym for camp at 8 a.m. Even though I coached and refereed like usual for the next two and half hours, I don’t remember anything after arriving at the gym.
From what others tell me, we came in from outside at 10:30 a.m. and I sat down on the bleachers. Then, I faceplanted. Just hit the floor. I began gasping, which made everyone assume I could breathe, so no one performed CPR. As it turns out, I was agonal breathing, a sign of respiratory distress caused by sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). It was a critical sign that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen.
Someone called 911. Amazingly enough, a volunteer EMT happened to be working in the building next to the gym. He rushed over and found me turning blue, taking my last agonal breaths. There was no automated external defibrillator (AED) on site, but he gave me CPR that saved my life (as well as my brain from any damage). When the ambulance arrived, they used an AED to restart my heart and put it into a normal rhythm. I had my second SCA on the way to the hospital. A defibrillator was used to revive me.
After a cardiac MRI, EKG, echocardiogram and many other tests, I was told that part of my heart muscle was thicker than it should be. It was a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and there was no cure. Instead, I needed an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). I’d also have to take a beta blocker to keep my heart rate low, probably for the rest of my life. The doctor also told me I’d never play basketball again.
I spent 14 days in the hospital. Coming home was scary. When I was in the hospital and something was wrong, machines beeped or I could press my call button and the nurses and doctors were right there. At home, I was surrounded by my family, but no one was a medical professional. I was afraid to go to sleep. What if I had another SCA and no one could help me?
Years later, I learned something I wish I’d known before. I was speaking at a medical conference, and I shared that fear. The doctor leading the conference remarked that she felt exactly the opposite. After she implanted an ICD in a patient, she slept better that night knowing her patient was going to be much safer. She was that confident in the treatment method.
Because HCM is hereditary, both my parents were tested. My dad, who was 45 at the time, was diagnosed with it. He’d never had a symptom, even after playing in two sports in college. He is still asymptomatic but sees his cardiologist annually. Learn about your condition because HCM affects every person differently.
My life changed overnight. I had to accept that playing college basketball was not in my future and then figure out what was next. And, I still had a fear of dying from another SCA.
My cardiologist and HCM specialist helped me get past my fears, and cardiac rehab was a game changer. As the youngest person by about 40 years, it was frustrating doing simple workouts when I was used to intense training. But, it helped me get comfortable with being active again.
Basketball remained part of my life through coaching. I also volunteered with the American Heart Association.
In 2015, with the help of my family and friends, we launched In A Heartbeat, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to raising money and awareness for SCA and HCM, and promoting the importance of CPR and AEDs (inaheartbeat.org).
We hold cardiac screening programs for kids ages 8 to 22. We have volunteers, including my pediatric cardiologist, and other medical personnel on site to read the EKGs. If a problem is detected, they sit down and talk about it with the parents.
We also provide AEDs and emergency training to organizations. Businesses shouldn’t wait for a tragedy to get prepared. AEDs are easy to operate. The device talks to you and lets you know what to do. It actually analyzes the heart rhythm of the person who falls ill and won’t shock them if it isn’t necessary.
Believe you can live a normal, healthy life with heart disease. It takes some lifestyle changes, but it's doable. You can’t prevent HCM but with a little knowledge, you can manage it.
