About 11 years ago, Joke Gysel, a Belgian dentist, suffered a cardiac arrest while riding her bicycle with her daughter. This led her to restart BIPIB, a nonprofit organization in Belgium that helps provide information about pacemakers and ICDs.

Here, in this episode, Joke shares her story on what life has been like these past 11 years since her cardiac arrest.Show notes about this episode: https://heartwarriorproject.com/how-life-has-been-11-years-later-after-my-cardiac-arrest-joke-gysel/____🧡Get Involved - Support The Heart Warrior Project🧡Note that The Heart Warrior Project is run by one guy, which is yes, me (Jellis Vaes). In between work, studies at university, and just life, I try to squeeze in some time almost every day to work on this project. This project takes a lot of work, as I genuinely want to deliver high-quality and helpful content for survivors here. And I do it with a lot of love every day. However, help is always appreciated. If you have found any insights, lessons, or support from this or any other episode, and you’d like to support the project, we have a couple of ways to do so.We offer some ⁠⁠awesome-looking merch⁠⁠, such as T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs, with different designs that I personally love wearing/using myself. If you aren’t interested in any merch but still want to support the project, we also ⁠⁠accept donations⁠⁠.You can find more information here:⁠⁠ https://heartwarriorproject.com/getinvolved/____TimestampsIntro 00:00 - 01:49 Joke’s Cardiac Arrest Story 01:50 - 15:52 The Potential Cause of Joke’s Cardiac Arrest: The Story of her Brave Little Niece 15:53 - 27:19 A Family of Heart Warriors: Careful Screening Saves Lives27:20 - 33:50 Joke’s Life Today: Managing Stress and Emotional Well-being 33:51 - 40:28 Support The Heart Warrior Project 40:29 - 42:01 The Role of Cardiologists and Mental Health Professionals 42:02 - 44:16 The Importance of Rehabilitation Programs 44:17 - 46:33 Dealing with Anxiety and Panic Attacks 46:34 - 48:17 Balancing Medication and Quality of Life 48:18 - 52:51 Restarting BIPIB: A Nonprofit for ICD and Pacemaker Wearers 52:52 - 59:09 Allowing Feelings and Trusting the Process 59:10 - 1:04:00 Moving Forward and Not Letting the Experience Define Your Life 01:04:01 - 01:06:56 Outro 01:06:57 - 01:08:08 Support The Hear Warrior Project 01:08:09 - 01:09:44