In 2019, during a regular, early morning workout, both of William’s arms went numb. He waited a little while, figuring it would pass. “I eat right, I’ve had a membership to the gym my whole life, and I’m not overweight,” he says. But when his symptoms persisted, he went to the hospital and found out he’d had a heart attack.

Doctors put in a stent on a Friday morning and William was back at work on Monday. Over the next few months, he underwent several tests and had another stent put in. But one day, he felt like he was having another heart attack. Doctors discovered and removed a flap of plaque that was acting as an inappropriate valve condition. Despite the serious nature of his condition, William took it in stride.

“I never felt like I was going to die,” he says. “It’s bad genetics; I have a lot of heart disease in my family.”

Three years after his first heart attack, William told his doctors he was still experiencing some chest pain and they put in a third stent. Four days later, he was cleared to travel to Italy for work for six weeks. These days, taking care of his heart is old hat.

“I equate it to going to the dentist, to have your heart work done now,” he says. “It’s so low impact.” He’s also grateful to researchers who are looking for better treatments and cures for heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. “Blood research affects everything,” he says.