For most of his life, Bobby Minor played the waiting game.
First, the 41-year-old from Graham wondered if the genetic heart disease that took both his father and grandfather’s lives much too soon would also be his fate. Just like them, at about age 26, he started experiencing the familiar symptoms. He was tired and light-headed.
A stress test at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill confirmed that his heart also wouldn’t beat on its own, and, in 1996, he had the first of several pacemakers put in. About four years after that, when he was getting another pacemaker, doctors discovered Minor had atrial fibrillation. In other words, his heart speeds up for no apparent reason, even if he isn’t doing anything.
The news wasn’t promising. But doctors explained it was something he could live with at age 30, although the long-term impact remained a concern. Heart surgery was definitely in his future.
“At the time, I felt good enough and didn’t want to do any extensive heart surgery,” Minor said.
That changed in 2007. Minor felt tired all the time and still struggled with light-headedness. Doctors at Duke University Medical Center thought he needed an ablation, a procedure that involves finding and cauterizing the nerve contributing to the rapid heartbeat.
Read more and learn about Have Heart, Give Hope: A benefit for Bobby
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