This week’s episode of The Heart Chamber Podcast features Boots’s friend, Tim Rogers, who went from backpacker to heart warrior. Tim opens up about his intense battle against atrial fibrillation (AFib) and how it led him down the path of surgeries and self-discovery. You’ll hear how his experience taught him more about the value of life, friendship, and self-care. He shares how he crushed his PT goals and the inspiring aftermath once he was free of AFib. His legal battles with insurance are also an important piece to his story which many listeners sadly will relate. Tim’s story doesn’t just beat—it resonates. Brace yourself for an episode that’s as much about conquering physical peaks as it is about the emotional highs and lows of a life-altering journey.
If you are looking for something specific – here’s where you’ll find it:
04:24 Successful weight loss post-heart surgery transformation.
08:14 Busy life led to shocking health discovery.
13:11 Irregular heart rhythm can lead to stroke.
15:39 Struggling through divorce and stress taking toll.
18:49 Beloved Jackson hike, Tim’s feat post-surgery. Insurance trauma.
22:01 Surgery was essential to go back to work, so Tim had to enlist legal help.
26:25 Professional, supportive, and unforgettable open-heart surgery experience.
28:15 Recovery, fear, and determination after medical ordeal.
30:55 Grateful for support.
37:12 From junk food to healthy eating habits.
38:08 Cholesterol medicine stopped; trainer helped improve health.
41:15 Cherishing life after overcoming adversity and health issues.
A Little More About Today’s Guest
Tim Rogers lives in Jackson Wyoming and has lived there for over 31 years. He came out to Jackson after graduating from St. Mary’s College in Moraga California in June 1992. Tim came to ski for one season and never went back to California. He’s a 2nd-grade teacher at Colter Elementary in town. He’s also a part-time ski instructor at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Tim has 2 daughters ages 15 and 17, who really seem to think they are better skiers than him which he begs to differ because he can carve on skis and all they do is ski straight down the mountain and never turn.
Now for the not-so-fun stuff, Tim was diagnosed with AFib about 5 years ago when he was on the operating table for a hernia. One of the nurses noticed he was in AFib when she looked at the heart monitor. That was the beginning of his journey that ended up in having open heart surgery on August 25th, 2023 down at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake. Tim was in AFib 24 hours a day for months. He went through his stress test in AFib, he had 3 cardioversions in November 2022 and an ablation down in Salt Lake in December 2022. That obviously didn’t work and he was referred to another electrophysiologist down in Salt Lake. He had his maize procedure down in Salt Lake on August 25th of 2023. This surgery with a change in his diet changed his life forever. Tim got a second chance with his life and he is not going to screw this up.
How to connect with Tim
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tim.rogers.315
How to connect with Boots
The Heart Chamber – A podcast for heart patients (theheartchamberpodcast.com)
Email: Boots@theheartchamberpodcast.com
Instagram: @theheartchamberpodcast or @boots.knighton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/boots-knighton
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The Heart Chamber – A podcast for heart patients (theheartchamberpodcast.com)