When I first spoke with Pete Furman in Episode 36, his health was failing, his options felt limited, and the road ahead was anything but clear. He was living with a myocardial bridge, drug therapy wasn’t working, and insurance had just denied his preferred surgeon. Everything felt urgent — and uncertain.

In this follow-up conversation, Pete returns to share what happened next.

We talk about how he navigated insurance denial, found a local cardiac surgeon willing to listen and learn, and ultimately underwent open-heart surgery to fully unroof his myocardial bridge. Pete walks us through the questions he asked, the promises he insisted on, and how self-advocacy became a matter of survival.

But this episode goes far beyond the operating room. Pete opens up about the emotional toll on his family, the anxiety leading up to surgery, and recording messages “just in case.” He also shares a surprising post-surgery discovery — that part of his ongoing struggle wasn’t his heart at all, but how he was breathing — and how retraining his body helped him reclaim strength he hadn’t felt in years.

Today, more than a year after surgery, Pete is back on his bike, training again, and setting his sights on racing in 2026.

If you’re facing a myocardial bridge diagnosis, wrestling with insurance, or wondering whether it’s possible to truly get your life back, this conversation is proof that it is — even when the path looks imperfect.

Pete's Doctor in Arizona was Dr. Modesto Colon with Phoenix Cardiac Surgery



Chapter Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome Back & Where Pete’s Story Left Off

Pete returns to Imperfect Heart and recaps his diagnosis, failed drug therapy, and the critical decisions he faced after Episode 36.

08:45 – Insurance Denial & Finding the Right Surgeon

How a denied robotic surgery led Pete to a local, in-network cardiac surgeon — and the questions that mattered most.

24:30 – The Surgery Decision: Sternotomy vs Robotic

Why Pete chose open-heart surgery, what “fully unroofing” meant to him, and the promises he required before saying yes.

41:10 – Fear, Family, and Facing the Unknown

The emotional weight of declining health, preparing his family, and recording messages “just in case.”

57:40 – Recovery, Setbacks, and a Surprising Breakthrough

Post-surgery struggles, breathing dysfunction, and how retraining his body changed everything.

1:15:20 – Life One Year Later: Riding, Racing, and Hope

Pete’s return to the bike, future goals, advice for others starting this journey, and why advocacy matters.