“I eat clean. I don’t drink alcohol. I take care of my body. I was doing the right thing,” says Thomas Pritchard.He was surprised to learn that he had atrial fibrillation.

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

As a former athlete, the 23-year-old Fort Myers, Fla., resident has made exercise a priority and maintained a healthy diet for years. When starting his new job as a physical education teacher, he decided to find a hobby to keep himself active.

“I started getting into 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 I finished the marathon, I felt like something wasn’t right, but I didn’t panic right away. I had just run 42 miles, so I thought I shouldn’t feel that good.” ”

Pritchard said she didn’t notice it at first, but eventually the feeling returned after a week.

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

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According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a trembling or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. Symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and fatigue.

While in hospital, Pritchard underwent an ablation, a surgical procedure that creates scar tissue within the heart to maintain a normal heart rhythm. However, vision complications led to a longer stay in the ER. He also found himself with a “hole in my heart” after the screening.

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“I was diagnosed with heart disease and had to have heart surgery. I lived in fear for the next month and a half to two months. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so young. “I was so scared,” he recalls.

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Mr Pritchard met with a number of doctors, including a cardiologist and a neurologist, but was unfortunately told that his healthy lifestyle could not have prevented his diagnosis.

“The cardiologist said, ‘Listen, there’s nothing you can do. If your rhythm starts to go off, you come back and we’ll fix it and deal with it.'” Sitting in the hospital. I remember thinking, “Oh my god, I ate clean.” I don’t drink alcohol. I take care of my body. I’m in pretty good shape. ” I was doing the right thing, that’s the crazy part. “Obviously this was always going to happen,” he says.

Pritchard admits that understanding that aspect was “the beauty of the diagnosis” and helped him come to terms with it.

“There was some peace when I realized there was nothing I could do. I truly believe this is one of the best pieces of news I’ve ever gotten. It forces me to live in the present. It forces me to live without fear.”

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

Last month, Pritchard was able to compete in another race with her students at the school’s annual intramural marathon, sponsored by the Heights Foundation and the American Heart Association. He currently works to raise awareness for people living with heart conditions like atrial fibrillation.

“I realized I could raise a lot of money for these foundations. And I realized it was about the awareness part,” he tells PEOPLE. “Anyone watching would see, oh, this is a young gym teacher running with a heart condition. It was a very special event and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

Ms Pritchard added that learning how to manage her health concerns and active lifestyle with atrial fibrillation had “changed my life”.

“Now that I have this knowledge, I’ve been looking on social media because I want to learn how to make my running better while living with heart disease. So it’s given me a lot of perspective. ” he says. “In the end, this was a blessing.”

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