I'm John Centofanti.
One day in January 2018, I went for my daily run.
Shortly after I would become a cardiac arrest survivor.
I'm a writer and creative professional, as well as a husband, father and grandfather.
When your life ends in an instant, there's no guidebook to show you how to build a new one while you live with the effects of anoxic brain injury.
This is why I'm sharing my story of losing my previous life and my journey to build a new one I love. My hope is to help others who are learning to thrive, not just survive.
Same Run. Same Route. Life-Altering Event.
On January 11, 2018, I went for my run, frustrated that I kept having to walk to catch my breath. I’d learn after the fact that I was having a heart attack during that run. I had no chest pain, and no indication that I should be concerned. It was no different from the previous 100 runs. If you had told me I was having a heart attack, I wouldn’t have believed it. I felt fine.
I had no idea that in less than 10 minutes, I wouldn’t be breathing. Fresh fruit in my smoothie and so many other things would no longer matter.
Invisible Illness: How I Look Doesn’t Reflect How I Feel
There are so many people with serious health conditions that suffer from what doctors call invisible illness. Invisible does not mean a patient is fabricating a health issue. It means that the condition is not observable by others. This makes sense. It’s logical. Yet, most people falsely believe if they can’t see a clear indication of illness, then whoever they are looking at must be healthy. This is very common with neurological disorders.
The Relief and Grief of a Medical Diagnosis
Two years later, I finally had an answer, but that answer meant I had another medical condition. There is both relief and grief when you get a medical diagnosis. I felt relief because there was an explanation for my symptoms, and I could learn to manage them—and maybe feel better. I felt grief because that meant having yet another medical condition to manage that will likely never go away.
Secret Advice from Dozens of My Doctors and Nurses — Word for Word
I’ve been asked about my lifestyle numerous times by doctors and nurses. After sharing all the details, they said it’s shocking that I had cardiac arrest.
What led up to that day is equally shocking. What happened after is beyond words. Across America, more people have become aware of how health insurance companies routinely deny coverage for their policyholders. These aren’t rare instances, it’s part of their system to put profit over patients.