P.E. Teacher, 23, ‘Felt Something Was Wrong’ After First Marathon, Learns He Has Heart Disease a Week Later (Exclusive)

Thomas Pritchard felt like he was in perfect health before he was diagnosed with a life-changing medical condition.

As a former athlete, the 23-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., has prioritized exercise and maintained a healthy diet over the years. When he started working as a physical education teacher, he decided to find a hobby to stay active.

“I started to fall in love with long distance running so I signed up for my first marathon with my sister on November 26, 2023,” he tells PEOPLE. But an exciting milestone in his fitness journey was about to turn into a health scare. “After finishing the marathon, I felt something was wrong, but I didn’t necessarily go crazy right away. I just ran 26 miles so I figured I shouldn’t feel so good.”

Despite initially dismissing it, Pritchard says the feeling eventually returned a week later.

“I woke up and my heartbeat was extremely fast and at that moment I knew something was wrong. It felt like it was vibrating, something was wrong,” he explains. “I went to the emergency room and they put an EKG on my chest and said, ‘You need to go to the emergency room right away. You have atrial fibrillation.’”

Thomas Pritchard.

courtesy of Thomas Pritchard

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Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a fluttering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications, according to the American Heart Association. Symptoms include fast heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fatigue.

While in the hospital, Pritchard underwent an ablation, a surgical procedure to create scar tissue inside the heart to maintain a normal heart rhythm. However, due to vision complications, he stayed longer at the emergency room. He also found out after the screening that he has a “hole in his heart”.

“I was diagnosed with heart disease and had to undergo heart surgery. For the next month and a half to two months, I lived in fear. I was so scared, like, oh my God, I’m so young,” she recalls.

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Thomas Pritchard.

courtesy of Thomas Pritchard

Pritchard met with numerous doctors, including cardiologists and neurologists, who told him that, unfortunately, his healthy lifestyle could not have prevented his diagnosis.

“My cardiologist said, ‘Look, there’s nothing you can do. If it starts to get out of rhythm, then you come back and we’ll fix it and we’ll take care of it.’ I remember sitting in the hospital thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been eating clean. I do not drink alcohol. I worry about my body. I’m in pretty good physical shape.’ I was doing the right things, that’s the crazy part. It’s clear this was always meant to happen,” he says.

Pritchard admits that understanding that aspect was “the beauty of the diagnosis” and helped him accept it moving forward.

“There was some peace when I found out there was nothing I could do. I truly believe it is one of the best news I have ever received. It makes me live in the present. It makes me live without fear.”

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Thomas Pritchard.

courtesy of Thomas Pritchard

Since his diagnosis, Pritchard has worked with his cardiologist to get back in shape and even hopes to become a strength and conditioning coach.

Last month, Pritchard was able to run another race, doing so alongside his students for the school’s annual campus marathon, sponsored by The Heights Foundation and the American Heart Association. He now runs to raise awareness for those living with heart conditions such as AFib.

“I realized that I could raise a good amount of money for these foundations. And then I realized that it’s a part of consciousness,” he tells PEOPLE. “Everyone can see, oh, it’s a young PE teacher with a heart condition. It was such a special event and I was so grateful to be a part of it.”

Pritchard adds that the health scare and learning how to manage my active lifestyle with AFib “changed my life.”

“It gave me this knowledge and I was just eager to learn and look on social media to get better at running with heart disease. So that gave me so much perspective,” he says. “Ultimately, this thing was a blessing.”

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Source: HIS Education