{"id":22812,"date":"2019-02-27T08:56:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T15:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=22812"},"modified":"2025-01-17T13:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:30:15","slug":"heart-failure-doesnt-slow-him-down-it-pushes-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/heart-failure-doesnt-slow-him-down-it-pushes-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart failure doesn’t slow him down – it pushes him"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Chris
Chris Welch speeds through the desert during a ride. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the past decade, Chris Welch has been a firefighter with Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue and a member of ski patrol at Steamboat Resort.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a swift water rescue instructor, traveling around the world teaching civilians and military groups technical rescue techniques. In August 2018, he added paramedic to his resume.<\/p>\n

Welch is a competitive dirt bike racer, twice competing in the Baja 1000, the longest continuous off-road race in the world.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a patient with heart failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not really something you find in a healthy, super active 37-year-old guy,\u201d Welch admits. \u201cBeing active is not a lifestyle; it is my life. I\u2019m not going to let this slow me down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Living life, until it almost stopped<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Chris
Chris (yellow helmet) leads a swift water training exercise for members of Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Welch has always been an active person with a love for the outdoors. He played sports growing up and excelled, playing football at the University of Idaho. Following graduation, he worked as a river guide on the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. After six years, he moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he became a ski patroller and firefighter.<\/p>\n

It was the winter of 2013, and Welch was about to embark on a backcountry hut trip in Idaho with friends when he started to feel a little under the weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had started skinning in \u2013 I was on a split board – and I told my friends I had to call it,\u201d said Welch. \u201cI headed for home back in Steamboat, but after driving for a few hours, I stopped to get checked out. Something didn\u2019t feel right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within minutes of arriving at an emergency department in Boise, pulse oximetry and electrocardiogram tests pointed to v-tach, or ventricular tachycardia<\/a>. Welch\u2019s heart was beating rapidly due to improper electrical activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey used a defibrillator on me to shock my heart back into proper rhythm,\u201d said Welch. \u201cThey said I had likely been in v-tach for a few hours. Had it continued, my heart could have stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was during surgery the next day to insert an internal defibrillator when doctors discovered the cause of the problem \u2013 Welch\u2019s left ventricle wasn\u2019t working properly. He was diagnosed with left ventricular cardiomyopathy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe left side of my heart wasn\u2019t doing its job,\u201d said Welch. \u201cMy ejection fraction<\/a> was only 16 percent, whereas it should have been in the 50-70 percent range.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ejection fraction is the measurement of the heart\u2019s ability to pump out blood. It compares the amount of blood in the heart\u2019s chamber with the amount of blood being pumped out. Welch\u2019s ejection faction was critically low.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heart doesn\u2019t really heal itself, so I was feeling pretty grim,\u201d said Welch. \u201cIt was tough. The doctors said this wasn\u2019t something they saw very often, especially in a young guy like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following discharge, Welch drove back to Steamboat Springs. He reached out to Laura Sehnert<\/a>, a trusted friend who happened to be an emergency medicine physician at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center<\/a>, for a cardiologist recommendation for his follow-up care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout hesitation, she said, \u2018Go to Will [Baker]<\/a>,\u2019\u201d said Welch. \u201cI knew of Dr. Baker from bringing heart patients to the emergency department from fire rescue and ski patrol. Now I was going to know him as a patient myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not a number<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During Welch\u2019s first appointment with Baker, they reviewed the series of events that had occurred.<\/p>\n

\"Chris
Chris is a firefighter and paramedic with Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe placement of the defibrillator was necessary for Chris,\u201d said Baker. \u201cIt\u2019s a way for us to follow him and make sure there aren\u2019t any additional ventricular tachycardia. The defibrillator works like an air bag in a car. It\u2019s there doing nothing until you need it, and then it can save your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baker referred Welch to a specialist at UCHealth Heart Failure Clinic on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>, but Baker\u2019s course of treatment was confirmed.<\/p>\n

Welch was insistent on getting back to work as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe acknowledged that I wasn\u2019t a typical heart failure patient \u2013 it\u2019s not normal for a healthy male in his thirties who works as a firefighter to go into heart failure,\u201d said Welch. \u201cDr. Baker could have said, \u2018Chris, you need to slow it down, really focus on your health, give up all the extreme activity.\u2019 He took time to review the treatment guidelines and listened to me as to what I wanted for the rest of my life. He always treats me like a human and never a number on a chart. I will always be grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chris
Chris hangs from a harness connected to the gondola line at Steamboat Ski Resort during a training exercise. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In order to go back to work, Welch needed to be medically cleared. Baker took some time to set parameters for Welch to meet over the next few months \u2013 no recurrent episodes, no additional shocks and successful completion of the Bruce protocol<\/a>, a stress test used to evaluate a person\u2019s cardiac function.<\/p>\n

Months? That was a long time to wait, and Welch said anger started to creep up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a major wake up call, almost a reality check,\u201d said Welch. \u201cI felt like I had made it \u2013 I was a firefighter and ski patroller, living in Steamboat Springs. It doesn\u2019t get much better than that, and then here I am, facing a heart failure diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch told himself he had two options \u2013fall victim to the diagnosis and let the diagnosis overcome him, or overcome it.<\/p>\n

He chose the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was determined. I knew I could do it,\u201d said Welch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith heart failure, there\u2019s a pretty defined set of guideline-directed therapy, and Chris has thrived on it,\u201d he said. \u201cChris has tolerated multiple medications without any concerning side effects. With the treatment, Chris\u2019 heart function has shown considerable improvement. We\u2019ve talked many times that as long as he stays on his meds, he can live a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018This is my time\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Three
During a ride outside Los Barriles in Southern Baja, Chris (center) was joined by Dr. David Wilkinson (left), an emergency medicine physician at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Welch adjusted to his medications, put his health first and was cleared to return to work, he needed something to take his mind off his heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent every last penny on a dirt bike,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m 100 percent sure it mentally saved my life. It presented a new challenge \u2013 as if I wasn\u2019t facing enough challenges at the time. It became therapy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued to ride as he got stronger, and eventually he found himself in his first desert race. He was hooked.<\/p>\n

Fast forward a few years, and Welch has completed the Baja 1000, twice. The off-road motorsport race is held annually on the Baja California Peninsula and can range from 600 to more than 1,000 miles in length. Both times, Welch had been part of a relay team, with the dirt bike serving as the baton.<\/p>\n

His ultimate goal? To complete the Baja 1000 as a solo rider.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be my final \u2018coup de grace\u2019 to heart failure \u2013 I win,\u201d said Welch.<\/p>\n

A big year ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Chris
Chris proposed to Dominique during sunrise. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2019 is shaping up to be a big year for Welch. He and his fianc\u00e9, Dominique Janku, are set to wed in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the kindest person I\u2019ve met in my life,\u201d said Welch, a smile stretching across his face. \u201cWe met on ski patrol. It\u2019s pretty amazing that she\u2019s willing to commit the rest of her life to a firefighter with a bad heart who races dirt bikes, but she said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch said Janku has helped him through everything \u2013 \u201cshe has both hands on my back, pushing me forward.\u201d Janku, who works as an EMT at Yampa Valley Medical Center in addition to her ski patrol duties, understands the roads ahead for the couple, both medically and competitively.<\/p>\n

\"Dominique
Dominique often serves on Chris’ pit crew during races, shown here during the prerunning of the 2018 Baja 1000. Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s my pit crew during races, right in the mix with everything,\u201d said Welch. \u201cShe helps with gear, changing tires, supports me. We\u2019re a true team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch said the future holds a number of cards. He loves his work \u2013 all three roles \u2013 and hopes to someday be a supervisor. He wants to continue racing dirt bikes, and said he and Janku would like to start a family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be a whole new kind of adventure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Patient and physician, side by side<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not often a patient works alongside his physician to care for others, but it\u2019s something Welch and Baker have experienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris has brought in folks to the emergency department who have his condition or other cardiac conditions, and we\u2019ve treated them together,\u201d said Baker. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to see him working with patients, especially when he has a heart condition a lot worse than people he\u2019s bringing in. It not only gives him a unique perspective, but it also makes him a great example of how people can live, and thrive, with heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welch says he doesn\u2019t think he\u2019d be where he is today, or where he\u2019s headed in the future, if his life hadn\u2019t been affected by heart disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour background contributes to how you see things \u2013 we\u2019re a product of our past experiences,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been the first responder and I\u2019ve been the patient. I have the rest of my life ahead of me, largely thanks to Dr. Baker. I\u2019m going to live it to the fullest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chris
Photo courtesy of Chris Welch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  For the past decade, Chris Welch has been a firefighter with Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue and a member of ski patrol at Steamboat Resort. He\u2019s also a swift water rescue instructor, traveling around the world teaching civilians and military groups technical rescue techniques. In August 2018, he added paramedic to his resume. Welch is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2146,"featured_media":22814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[3512,1013,2518],"class_list":["post-22812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-heart-and-vascular-care-cardiovascular","tag-heart-failure","tag-uchealth-yampa-valley-medical-center"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHeart failure doesn't slow him down - it pushes him - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chris Welch is a firefighter and a member of ski patrol. 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