Dubai man continues lifting weights even while on artificial heart pump
Khaleel Al Herani received his heart transplant in October
Khaleel Al Herani may have been faced with an advanced heart ailment, yet it did not stop him from training. The 35-year-old Jordanian has been hailed as a model patient by Abu Dhabi’s premiere multi-organ transplant facility, the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD). Supported by an artificial heart pump — a left ventricular assistance device — he continued weightlifting for nearly a year and a half before he received his heart transplant in October. “I always thought I was invincible; I’m young and I’ve always kept in shape. So it was hard for me to accept my diagnosis,” Al Herani said.
It was in July 2019 that the Dubai-based property manager and avid weightlifter first began experiencing chest discomfort while in his office. Tests showed an enlargement of his heart, and Al Herani’s physician told him that he should take a break from his training before coming back for further tests.
“I remember my doctor explained the issue to me in a very friendly way so that I wouldn’t get worried. What I didn’t realise at the time was that I was in the early stages of heart failure. Four days after seeing the doctor, I felt I was going crazy without the gym, so I went back to lifting. I ignored the whole thing and honestly, I felt fine. And after a while, I forgot about the episode with my heart,” he said.
Al Herani didn’t experience any more symptoms until February 2020. As his heart function declined, fluid began to build up in his lungs, a condition called pulmonary oedema.
Recognising how advanced his heart failure had become, Al Herani was referred to CCAD. Upon arrival, doctors determined that, given the scarcity of donor hearts, installing a left ventricular assistance device would greatly improve Al Herani’s condition and enable him to live a normal life while he waited for a heart transplant.
Regular exercise
“Thanks to advances in technology, an artificial heart pump gave him a fantastic quality of life, and more time, while we waited for a new heart to become available,” said Dr. Feras Bader, director of the heart failure and transplant program at the hospital.
Following the installation of the device, Al Herani’s condition improved greatly. He was able to return to work and regular exercise once again. “Al Herani really shatters the traditional image of a heart disease patient. We also saw a total transformation in him since installing his heart pump,” Dr Bader said.