Sebastian Hitzig

Sebastian Hitzig's story begins with an event that seemed insignificant at the time: he stepped on a toothpick that punctured his foot. The ensuing infection was treated by a physician and once the pain and swelling went away, 24-year-old Sebastian forgot about the incident.

What Sebastian hadn't realized is that the infection lingered in his system. Several months later, on October 14, 1995, his father, Rupert, found him unconscious on his bed, bleeding from his nose. The right side of his body was paralyzed. Rupert rushed his son to the emergency room at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The news was grim: he had suffered two strokes, his lungs had collapsed and his kidneys were failing. The emergency room physicians told Rupert his son was dying. "He was the sickest patient I've ever seen," remarked one of the physicians who treated him.

Sebastian was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis, an inflammation of the tissues around the heart. His foot infection had traveled to the valve that connects his heart to his aorta -- the main artery pumping blood through the body. And as Sebastian's heart beat, blood clots carrying the deadly infection circulated to other vital organs, including his brain, kidney, spleen and lungs. Blood clots had also caused bleeding in his brain and surgeons feared an operation would trigger a massive stroke from which Sebastian would not recover.

Sebastian Hitzig (center) with his parents, Rupert and Karen Hitzig, at their home in Los Angeles, 2002.

The infection had also reached the sac surrounding his heart, and cardiac surgeons decided they had to operate. When they opened Sebastian's chest, they found far more damage than they had anticipated. "It was as if the heart and aorta were plastered against the sternum. There was a hole where the aortic valve should be," one doctor said. The infection had destroyed the sinoatrial (SA) node -- the heart's natural pacemaker that produces steady electrical signals stimulating it to contract and pump blood. A pacemaker was implanted to replace the SA node.

"Because of the damage done by the infection, my heart beats too slowly on its own, about 30 to 40 beats per minute," says Sebastian. A man his age could expect to have a resting heartbeat of 60-100 beats per minute. "The pacemaker compensates for the damage," continues Sebastian. "Without it, I wouldn't have survived, or I would be living the life of an invalid."

Sebastian stayed in the hospital for more than three months and went on to make a remarkable recovery, building up his strength by working out regularly. He vowed to complete a marathon with his pacemaker.

But several months later, in October of 1996, Sebastian was working out at a gym when his heart went into ventricular fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder in which the pumping action of the lower chambers of the heart -- the ventricles -- becomes rapid and chaotic) and he fell to the floor unconscious. He had suffered sudden cardiac death (SCD) an abrupt loss of heart function caused by the dangerously unstable heart rhythm. Death can occur within minutes if emergency treatment is not performed. An emergency team arrived within minutes with an external cardiac defibrillator, a device that shocks the heart back to its normal rhythm. SCD is the most common cause of death in the U.S., killing 350,000 people every year. Sebastian was one of the lucky 10 percent of victims who survive.

An electrophysiologist, a cardiologist with expertise in diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders, determined that Sebastian had a type of Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), a heart rhythm disorder. Patients with the syndrome are vulnerable to very fast heart rhythms known as torsade de pointes. When these rhythms occur, no blood is pumped out of the heart and the brain is quickly deprived of oxygen. In many cases the person faints and then suffers sudden cardiac arrest, which is exactly what happened in the gym. Sebastian may have had LQTS since birth or it may have been caused by his heart surgery.

LQTS can be treated effectively. Sebastian's electrophysiologist inserted an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in his abdomen, a pager-sized device that connects to his heart with wires. The ICD monitors his heart rhythms and when it detects a dangerously rapid heart beat, stimulates his heart with electrical impulses to restore its normal rhythm.

Today, Sebastian is a healthy, active young man, splitting his time between acting and public speaking. He has become very involved in heart-related causes, serving as a board member of the American Heart Association and a councilor and fundraiser for a camp for kids with heart disease, Camp Del Corazon. He also did a stint as the patient ambassador and spokesperson for a manufacturer of cardiac devices.

When he speaks publicly, he often talks about the theme of conquering fear, drawing on his two near-death experiences. He also volunteers to speak with patients who are candidates for ICD therapy. "Sometimes, patients who have just been diagnosed with LQTS or other heart rhythm problems have not yet experienced a sudden cardiac arrest like I have," says Sebastian. "They may not understand why they need this device. I talk with them about the security I feel knowing that the ICD is there. I go to the gym five days a week. I play basketball with my brothers. I'm very active. I want to feel the ICD in my abdomen, to know it's there and will save my life if I need it."

Sebastian can be reached by email at sebastianmaxwell@aol.com.