Being
Resilient
This is the story I don't tell in a LinkedIn post.
DVT + Pulmonary Embolism
First DVT and PE. It triggered a heart attack caused by a heart defect I didn’t know I had — a myocardial bridge. I didn’t know it was a heart attack at the time.
Started running
Began running 10Ks for fun. It became the through-line through everything that followed.
Emergency open heart surgery
Taken off blood thinners — no predisposed clotting markers. A blood clot formed in the left ventricle, broke apart, and shot into my arm. Emergency open heart surgery.
First trail marathon
Got serious about running. Trail marathon one year after open heart surgery. Then 50Ks. Then 50-milers.
Dr. Schnittger — Myocardial Bridge Specialist
After years of different hospitals, I connected with Dr. Schnittger at Stanford. Finally pieced together the full picture: the original PE had caused the heart attack via the myocardial bridge.
Another PE
Doctors decided to take me off blood thinners again. Long flight to Asia. Another pulmonary embolism. Blood thinners for life. Case closed.
Still going
Multiple 50Ks · 50-milers · Levi’s Gran Fondo 100 miler · Triple Bypass in Colorado · Building GMTech. On blood thinners the whole time.
None of this made me tougher in some cinematic way. What it did was clarify what actually matters — and make me deeply skeptical of the idea that you need ideal conditions to build something worthwhile. You don’t. You need to keep showing up.
The same instinct that kept me running after open heart surgery is the instinct behind GMTech, behind the trail reports, behind every community I’ve built. You find the thing that matters, and you show up for it consistently. That’s the whole formula.
I couldn't find community when I needed it most. So I built one. More coming.
Let's connect.
If this resonates — whether you're navigating something medical, career uncertainty, or just want to talk — I'm here for it. No pitch, no agenda.