TEMPE, Ariz. — Lynn Schmidt, better known as Weirdwolf, brings passion, noise and lots of heart to every Kansas City Chiefs game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
But Schmidt’s beating heart needed attention.
About 25 years ago, he went to the hospital with what he thought was a heart attack.
Luckily it wasn’t, but while he was there, doctors discovered Schmidt had a bicuspid aortic valve. The defect didn’t require surgery right away but put Schmidt at risk of having heart emergencies.
“I wasn’t too freaked out, I don’t get too freaked out most of the time,” Schmidt said.
After the diagnosis, Schmidt kept in regular contact with doctors, getting his heart checked once or twice a year.
But last year, the team at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City decided Schmidt finally needed surgery. He scheduled the procedure for February after the Chiefs season would be over.
“When you go to surgery, you go to fix a problem. And after that, patients do better,” said Dr. Jessica Heimes, the surgeon who performed Schmidt’s procedure.
Heimes says seeing a doctor regularly can help detect early signs of heart conditions and prevent emergencies like in Schmidt’s case.
As February is American Heart Month, Heimes and Schmidt are using the Chiefs' success as an opportunity to spread awareness about heart health.
“I’m so appreciative of what they did and keeping me going to Chiefs games," Schmidt said. "I’ve got a long life ahead, and I look forward to every moment of more Super Bowls with the Chiefs."
The super fan will be at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, thanks to his successful heart surgery.
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