In this Imperfect Heart NewsPod, I reconnect with Kaylin Kellert—two years removed from her myocardial bridge unroofing surgery and now living a life she describes as “night and day” from before.

Kaylin shares an honest update on her recovery journey, including the ups and downs that came with it, and the sense of peace she’s found on the other side. But this conversation isn’t just about where she’s been—it’s about what she’s doing now.

After a chance moment at an American Heart Association Heart Walk in Austin, Kaylin was nominated as a Woman of Impact for the Go Red for Women campaign. What followed is a powerful example of turning personal experience into purpose.

We talk about:

• Why cardiovascular disease remains the #1 killer of women
• The long-standing misconceptions that heart disease primarily affects men
• How women’s symptoms are too often dismissed or misdiagnosed
• The role of advocacy, awareness, and funding in changing outcomes
• And how Kaylin is using her voice—and her story—to make a difference

This episode is both an update and an invitation: to listen, to learn, and to support a cause that impacts one in three women.

Why It Matters

Heart disease doesn’t always look the way we expect—and for women, that misunderstanding can be deadly.

Kaylin’s story reinforces a critical truth: awareness leads to advocacy, and advocacy leads to better outcomes. When survivors step forward, they don’t just tell their story—they help change the system.

This conversation highlights the importance of:

• Recognizing symptoms earlier
• Taking women’s health concerns seriously
• Funding research and education
• And building a community that supports one another through it all

For the myocardial bridge community and beyond, this is a reminder that your voice matters—and that sharing it can save lives.

Let’s help Kaylin help us help others! Here is the link to her “Go Red For Women” donation page Kaylin’s Go Red Link . Unfortunately, I can't show the QR code in this platform but the link works just the same.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Kaylin & her journey
01:00 – Life two years after unroofing surgery
02:00 – The reality of recovery: ups, downs, and resilience
03:00 – A chance moment at the Heart Walk
04:00 – Becoming a Woman of Impact
05:00 – The truth about heart disease in women
06:00 – Misdiagnosis, dismissal, and systemic gaps
07:00 – Why awareness and advocacy matter
08:00 – How the Go Red for Women campaign works
09:00 – Supporting the mission and getting involved
10:00 – A message to the myocardial bridge community
11:00 – Closing thoughts and call to action

If you like what you heard, please give us a positive review on whichever app you're using, like and follow us so you never miss an episode. Also, please visit the website, MyImperfectHeart.com and sign up to our database as we work to build a more connected, informed and supportive network of the Imperfect Heart community. Thanks for listening and thank you for your support.

If you don't yet have your very own copy of the book: Imperfect Heart: Stories of Myocardial Bridges, you can find it anywhere in paperback, tablet or audiobook versions. And, yes, that's me doing the audiobook version as well. :) I hope you enjoy it.

When I first spoke with Pete Furman in Episode 36, his health was failing, his options felt limited, and the road ahead was anything but clear. He was living with a myocardial bridge, drug therapy wasn’t working, and insurance had just denied his preferred surgeon. Everything felt urgent — and uncertain.

In this follow-up conversation, Pete returns to share what happened next.

We talk about how he navigated insurance denial, found a local cardiac surgeon willing to listen and learn, and ultimately underwent open-heart surgery to fully unroof his myocardial bridge. Pete walks us through the questions he asked, the promises he insisted on, and how self-advocacy became a matter of survival.

But this episode goes far beyond the operating room. Pete opens up about the emotional toll on his family, the anxiety leading up to surgery, and recording messages “just in case.” He also shares a surprising post-surgery discovery — that part of his ongoing struggle wasn’t his heart at all, but how he was breathing — and how retraining his body helped him reclaim strength he hadn’t felt in years.

Today, more than a year after surgery, Pete is back on his bike, training again, and setting his sights on racing in 2026.

If you’re facing a myocardial bridge diagnosis, wrestling with insurance, or wondering whether it’s possible to truly get your life back, this conversation is proof that it is — even when the path looks imperfect.

Pete's Doctor in Arizona was Dr. Modesto Colon with Phoenix Cardiac Surgery



Pete returns to Imperfect Heart and recaps his diagnosis, failed drug therapy, and the critical decisions he faced after Episode 36.

How a denied robotic surgery led Pete to a local, in-network cardiac surgeon — and the questions that mattered most.

Why Pete chose open-heart surgery, what “fully unroofing” meant to him, and the promises he required before saying yes.

The emotional weight of declining health, preparing his family, and recording messages “just in case.”

Post-surgery struggles, breathing dysfunction, and how retraining his body changed everything.

Pete’s return to the bike, future goals, advice for others starting this journey, and why advocacy matters.

This may be one of those episodes that could be considered controversial and I hope it does prompt questions. Dr. ChristopherKwon is a highly experienced cardiac surgeon whose practice in Lake Havasu, Arizona has brought him face-to-face with a growing number of patients living with symptomatic Myocardial Bridges.

What made this conversation so compelling is Dr. Kwon’s dual approach—he doesn’t just perform the standard unroofing procedure. He also chooses to bypass the artery in the same operation, giving his patients the greatest chance for long-term relief, in his expert opinion. As he says, it’s a “belts and suspenders” approach.

We talk about everything related to the bridge unroofing procedure.

• The fear patients have around sternotomy,
• The diagnostic process including provocative testing,
• The reality of competitive flow in grafts,
• The insurance coding challenges that can delay care,
• And, perhaps most importantly, how critical it is to advocate for yourself.

Whether you're a patient, a caregiver, or a provider trying to better understand this often-dismissed condition, I believe this episode can give you clarity, confidence, and hope.

• Dr. Kwon’s path from aspiring engineer to heart surgeon
• Why sternotomy isn’t as scary as it sounds
• His unique method: unroofing + bypass for added protection
• When provocative testing is useful—but not always required
• What to know about LIMA grafts and long-term outcomes
• Why some cardiologists still dismiss this condition—and what he tells them
• The importance of second opinions and listening to your gut
• How insurance coding can make or break your surgery approval
• Plus... Dr. Kwon’s life outside the OR, including his two standard poodles ????

Dr. Kwon

Cardiac Surgeon – Havasu Regional Medical Center, Arizona

Phone: 928-453-0890

Contact info: https://www.havasuregional.com/find-a-doctor/provider/1225074867

???? Resources:

• Website: www.myimperfectheart.com
• Book: Imperfect Heart: Stories of Myocardial Bridges – Now available on Amazon or any digital platform where you find your books/ebooks/audio books.

(00:00) Cardiac Surgeon Discusses Myocardial Bridges

Dr. Kwan's journey to becoming a cardiac surgeon, his 21-year career, advancements in cardiac surgery, and treating myocardial bridges.

(11:34) Bypass Graft and Competitive Flow Discussion

Nature's intricacies of bypass grafts, specifically LEMA and its interaction with competitive flow, surgical strategies, and decision-making processes in complex cardiac surgeries.

(20:14) Discussion on Myocardial Bridge Treatment

Myocardial bridging treatment, stenting and surgery, sudden cardiac death, patient self-advocacy, and maintaining well-being through family, pets, and nature.

(34:52) Bypass and Unroofing Procedure Discussion

Dr. Korn shares insights on unroofing bypass surgery, making complex medical information accessible and concludes with a light-hearted exchange about his dogs.