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OREM — Mark Seastrand taught at Utah Valley University just four weeks after open-heart surgery.
"My goal was to try to get to that class, and I made it," said Seastrand, who lives in Orem.
Two years ago, while in Orlando on a family trip, he had a massive heart attack. "No warning, I went down and I had a skull fracture, bleeding on the brain," he said.
Physicians at Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute's new Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center diagnosed him with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It's a genetic condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick. The heart condition affects one in 500 people in the U.S.
Dr. Kia Afshar, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, said some people who have it never have a problem. For others, it can be catastrophic.
"Someone just dies suddenly out of nowhere, sometimes on a basketball court, and that's where it becomes very well-known," he said.
The center has specialists in HCM and offers unique research opportunities. DNA samples from patients and their families are stored at LDS Hospital. Scientists test them for genetic abnormalities and match them with clinical information. The registry already has over 32,000 biological samples.
Seastrand's surgery last December was a success. "That bottleneck is gone," Afshar said.
Seastrand and his wife went on a dream trip to Israel last June, and now have peace of mind.
"She was always worried about me. To have that not be the case now makes you feel much better," he said.
The center has been designated a National Center of Excellence, joining just two dozen elite programs in the nation to earn this prestigious certification.
For more information on the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, visit Intermountain Medical Center's official website.
