Breaking the cycle: A surgeon’s fight against genetic heart disease

William Cooper calls Atlanta home, a city located a two-hour flight away from Kansas City, where he contracts as a heart surgeon. Cooper, a proud Kansas City Chiefs fan, displayed the team’s logo on his jacket during our Zoom interview, just a week after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. Super Bowl Sunday, a day filled with excitement, included an unexpected visit to the emergency room for Cooper after he experienced chest pain. Without hesitation, Cooper called a colleague and headed to the hospital. In the end, his tests came back negative for a cardiac event, and the pain he experienced was most likely the result of overexertion from an earlier workout. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chest pain is more common in athletes aged 35 and older than in those who live a less active lifestyle. However, Cooper knows that genetic factors contribute to the likelihood of& developing heart disease regardless of age, which is why, after losing two siblings to heart disease, he shares his family’s medical history with his children and encourages them to get tested. What inspired your decision to pursue a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon? That story has been unfolding for me all my life,...