Elliott was diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome in 2020. And he credits the discovery of this rare cardiac condition to an episode of “How I Met Your Mother.”
In 2019, Elliott’s brother was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition after undergoing an EKG at work. “I remembered that episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall’s dad dies of a heart attack – and afterwards, his whole family gets serious about their health,” says Elliott. “That’s where my brain went, and it’d been 20 years since I had a baseline EKG, so I decided to get one.”
His primary care doctor could tell that something was wrong on his EKG. Elliott followed up with a cardiologist in his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “I remember that day vividly,” says Elliott. “He told me that my primary care doctor had put the leads in the wrong spot, and that my EKG was perfectly normal. He told me to go home, lose weight, and have fun. He said I was just fine.”
The COVID pandemic hit a few months later, and Elliott decided to go through his medical records while stuck at home. On the notes from his cardiologist’s office, he saw a phrase he’d never heard before: Brugada Syndrome. When he called the office and asked to have the diagnosis removed – since he’d been cleared by the doctor – the nurse on the other end told him to follow up with a specialist.
The specialist ordered an ECHO, which came back clear. “The doctor said he was 98% sure I didn’t have Brugada Syndrome – and this has led me to hate when doctors use percentages to talk about your health risk,” says Elliott.
Elliott arrived in Salt Lake City for his final test to rule out Brugada Syndrome – a procainamide challenge – assuming that he would be in and out of the hospital quickly. “They put 16 leads on me, and crash pads,” he says. “They injected the drug and all of the sudden, residents and fellows started coming in. I learned I’d need to stay overnight.”
That’s when Elliott received his final diagnosis of Brugada Syndrome, which had appeared during his drug challenge. “Because Brugada Syndrome is so rare, they wanted all the fellows to see it, since they may not ever see it again,” he says. “The diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I was alone; I didn’t even have a phone charger. My kid was only five at the time I was diagnosed, and my extended family didn’t want to get tested.”
Elliott was recently was invited to his first 5K, which he successfully ran with no issues.
Elliott found the SADS Foundation soon after, and connected with a specialist at Johns Hopkins – Dr. Andreas Barth, a medical expert volunteer for the SADS Foundation. Dr. Barth confirmed Elliott’s diagnosis. In the meantime, his wife arranged a meeting with the CEO of their local hospital to discuss the lack of awareness and care Elliott received on his diagnostic journey.
“The amount of education I have to give everyone, even healthcare professionals, is astounding,” says Elliott.
In February of 2024, Elliott suffered two “dizzy spells” – one in his home office, and one during his daughter’s Cub Scouts meeting – that prompted Dr. Barth to recommend an S-ICD.
“After the surgery, I talked to my daughter – just said, hey kiddo, how are you doing?” says Elliott. “She said, ‘Daddy, I’m scared, I don’t like seeing you sick.’ So I showed her the device – she touched it through the bandage. I told her, I’m okay now. Daddy did this for you. I want to walk you down the aisle. I want to attend your high school graduation. The strength my kid has had through this – and the strength that she’s given me – are incredible.”
After his S-ICD implantation, Elliott joined the SADS ICD Support Group. “For the first time in almost four years since my diagnosis, I met someone else with my condition,” says Elliott. “I didn’t feel alone, or lost, or like it was all in my head. It really breathed new life into me.”
Some of the biggest challenges Elliott has faced include going through cardiac rehabilitation after his S-ICD surgery, and reacclimating to doing things he loves – like hiking and kayaking. “I had to relearn my limits,” he says. “But I used to feel like I had a bomb in my chest waiting to go off, and now I have backup in case that happens. I’ve beaten all the odds so far. I’ve finally started feeling like myself again.”