September 10, 2024 • 18 mins
Four years ago this September, Eric Borstein almost died due to severe right heart failure. He spent 16 days in the ICU where he was diagnosed with a very rare lung disease called Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, a disease with no cure. At the time the outlook was dire, as they told his wife he probably had 3-6 months to live. Needless to say, four years later he is ALIVE and much better thanks to walking! Eric learned very early on that walking helped mitigate the terrible side effects associated with medications. A few short steps in the hospital led to a walk around the block at home, which led to a mile, two, three. In the calendar years 2022 he walked 4,700 miles, and in 2023 he walked a little over 5,000 miles. Now he's hoping you will walk with him, to raise money and awareness for PAH patients.
September 22nd, Eric will be walking from Los Angeles to San Diego to raise awareness for this rare disease. Before he heads out on this 6-day journey down the coast, he and his family are putting on the first annual Where is EB? fundraiser and 5K in Santa Monica, that will benefit Team PHenomenal Hope. Find out more about his big event Sept 22nd HERE
Aired September 8, 2024: In this podcast, Lisa Foxx talks to Eric Borstein about his story. He shares what led up to his diagnosis and how he is using WALKING to stay healthy. At his upcoming charity walk, he hopes to encourage others to walk for their health, while also raising money and awareness to help those suffering from PAH.
September 22nd, Eric will be walking from Los Angeles to San Diego to raise awareness for this rare disease. Before he heads out on this 6-day journey down the coast, he and his family are putting on the first annual Where is EB? fundraiser and 5K in Santa Monica, that will benefit Team PHenomenal Hope. Find out more about his big event Sept 22nd HERE
Aired September 8, 2024: In this podcast, Lisa Foxx talks to Eric Borstein about his story. He shares what led up to his diagnosis and how he is using WALKING to stay healthy. At his upcoming charity walk, he hopes to encourage others to walk for their health, while also raising money and awareness to help those suffering from PAH.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, It's Lisa Fox and this is the iHeart So
Cal Show, our show that puts the spotlight on charitable organizations,
nonprofits and people giving back. My guest today not only
does he give back, but he's also very lucky to
be alive. Four years ago this month, he almost died
due to severe right heart failure. He spent sixteen days
in the ICU, where he was diagnosed with a very
(00:20):
rare lung disease called to make sure I say this right, Eric,
pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
That is correct, very good, a disease.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
With no cure.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So here's what's happening. September twenty second. He and his
family are putting on their first ever fundraiser. This man
is walking from La to San Diego, which we're about
to ask.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Why that's far.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
That's very far, but of course it's all to raise
money and awareness and hopes of finding a cure and
helping people who have what Eric has. So please welcome
Eric Borstein.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hi, Eric, Hi, thank you thank you so much for
having me well.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
And we met.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
We haven't met in person yet, but we know of
each other through our very dear mutual friend.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Hi. Alessandro we love you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
And Alie Sander was like, you got to hear Eric's story,
you know, and knowing that this very rare disease should
have already taken your life by now.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
In my gosh, you've got a wife and kids. I'm
betting you're pretty grateful for for every day.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Every day is a blessing, you know, after what happened
to me four years ago this month, you don't ever
take anything for granted anymore, my gosh.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Right, So okay, Eric, So take us back four years ago.
Were you suddenly just not feeling well and then you collapsed?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Like what led up to this?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah? So I was very active, played a lot of
uh sports growing up into my adult life, you know,
mountain bike riding, tennis, you know, did a lot in
the in the months and probably i'll call it a
year leading up to what happened, I wasn't feeling well.
I was starting the show signs of what was going
(01:56):
to end up being a severe heart failure. But I
didn't go to the doctor. And you know, somebody that's
part of my team now is a psychologist, and I
learned very early on that a lot of men don't
go to the doctor up to seventy five percent of
men don't go to the doctor when something is wrong.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And I bet your wife bugged you all the time.
I bet you bugged you all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
My wife not only bugged me all the time, but
in the weeks leading up to it. One night, when
we were laying in bed, she said, you know, I
don't want to wake up with you dead. And I'm
really hoping that you go to the doctor because you
have three amazing children and myself and a lot to lose,
And so was pushing me. But I was afraid to
(02:42):
find out what was wrong. And I knew something was wrong.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
And what were the kind of symptoms? You know, were
you feeling sluggish? Did you have pain? Were you having
trouble breathing?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, I had severe swelling and the abdomen and ankles.
I couldn't walk more than twenty feet without being severely
out of breath. I was having problems sleeping. It was
really really painful, but I was fighting through it. I
was still playing paddle tennis with friends, I was still
going on bike rides. But I was definitely definitely fighting
through a severe illness.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
All right, So your west side guy, and what were
you at age. Did all this happen forties?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Fifties?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I'm fifty one.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And then what happened on September twenty second, four years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, So it was September twenty first, and I woke
up and wasn't feeling well, and so laid down in
my home office. And like a lot of times in
the past when I didn't feel well, I figured I
would just you know, go back to the room and
lay down and after a day or two I'd feel fine.
(03:41):
And that just didn't happen. I really was feeling terrible,
and so I decided to walk upstairs, made it up
to the top of the steps, and everything just started
closing in on me. And it was the most painful
thirty steps of my life. I sat down on the bed,
I stood back up, and with my hands at my side,
(04:02):
when face down, went unconscious. And unfortunately, you know, it
was during COVID. Well fortunately during COVID, but unfortunately, because
it was during COVID, my children were home and one
of my girls saw me go down yelled out to
my wife, who was downstairs getting my son ready for
zoom like everybody was doing for school. Yeah, and I
(04:26):
woke up probably what was thirty minutes later with the
paramedics in the bedroom and I was dying. I had
been I was dying in the bedroom. Paramedics quickly got
me to the emergency room where I was stabilized, and
after twenty four hours, I was transported to Cedar Sina,
(04:47):
where I spent sixteen days in the cardiac ICU. In
the ICU, I was diagnosed with severe red heart failure
and what was to be pulmony arteria hypertension, which is
an extremely rare disease and it falls under you know,
the classification of pulmonary hypertension.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And when they told you that you had that, Eric,
were you like, uh wait, what what's it called?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I'm gonna have to google that one. I never even
heard of that.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So I definitely had never heard of it. I was
kind of out of it, but my wife and my
family definitely were doing a lot of googling and calling
doctors and finding out what it was, because it's it's
a disease, you know, PEH only only probably is diagnosed
in five hundred to one thousand people a year. It's
very rare.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Nationwide, Yeah, nationwinow rare.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, it's the rarest form of pulmonary hypertension, and.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So essentially, and explain in a nutshell, what does it
mean your heart isn't.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Doing in a in a healthy human, your right ventricle
is supposed to be much smaller than your left, and
in my case, my right ventricle was two and a
half times the size of my left. Oh, and so
if you can just picture a hose, and if you
squeeze a hose really really tight and the water can't
get through, everything starts to back up. My heart couldn't
(06:06):
pump the blood through my lungs because my pulmonary agies
and my lungs were so constricted that my right ventricle
was just overworked and my heart failed.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Ah. So scary.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
So your rush at the hospital, the paramedics kind of
bring you back. Essentially, the doctor says, you have a
very rare lung disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease
with no cure.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So unbeknownst to me, they told my wife when I
was in the hospital that they didn't know if I
was going to leave the hospital. Then once I was
stabilized and I was put on an intravenous medication that
was pumped into me twenty four hours a day. They
sent me home and they again I didn't ask, but
they told my wife I probably had three to six
(06:49):
months to live ah, and I would never get off
of that pump. The medication that I was on was
extremely difficult. The side effects were extremely difficult. Body burning
from the inside out, nausea, headaches, pain in the bottom
of your feet, just terrible side of you know, you're
up all night. But I told my wife when I
(07:11):
was in the hospital, I said, and I didn't know
what it meant with this man at the time, but
I'm going to beat this like this is not going
to defeat me. And I'm going to do everything that
I can to beat this disease. And so I got
home and I had to find a way to fight
through these side effects. And I learned very quickly that
walking helped mitigate the side effects. So I began walking.
(07:33):
And one of the things with pulmonary arterial hypertension is
you have trouble breathing, like most people are on oxygen
and they can't breathe, and you're suffocating from the inside
because your lung capacity is just is permanently damaged. But
I started walking, and I fought and fought and fought,
and the next thing you know, I'm walking a block,
and then I'm walking two blocks, and it led to
(07:55):
a mile and two miles, and eventually I was hitting milestones.
I was walking six eight miles up Vestor's Trail and.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And just feeling better or feeling like the disease was
suddenly more manageable.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Right both, I was feeling much better. I was feeling
more manageable. And after a year, I got off the
pump and all of a sudden, what was a diagnosis of,
you know, three to six months was now a year.
And I just kept blowing through every single milestone that
I was given, an expectation that I was given. So
(08:29):
where now four years later, I'm still on three medications
where the side effects, you know, the mornings are awful,
but I most days get out of bed and power
through and I now average fifteen miles a day walking
and I'm undiagnosable.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Wow, my gosh, that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, and my heart has made a complete recovery. I
go through echoes every three months. And my doctors, who
were some of the just the most wonderful, best doctors
in the world say that my heart looks like a
twenty two year old you know athletes hert Wow, look
at that.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I'm thinking, Eric.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The doctors are like, this is a miracle, but probably
using what you did with all this walking as maybe
a new way to treat this disease, to help people
who have this rare disease.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Most definitely walking and diet, I mean diet has been
a big part of this, you know, exercise, diet, stress maintenance.
You know, I've got I tell people, I've got an
amazing business partner who's taken on a big load of
what we do. And it's allowed me to dedicate my
life to my health and getting better and you know,
(09:41):
being the best husband and dad and friend and you
know that I can be. And the stress management is
a big part of the two. Like I mentioned, I
have a psychologist who I spoke speak with once a
week who and I never miss his call. It just
you know, the walking helps physically, but it helps me
and I've learned the mental battle is equally as important
(10:05):
as the physical battle.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Sure, And now you and the family put together your
first ever fundraiser for this cause. It's Where's eb Where
is that Eric Borstein, You're raising money and awareness for pulmonary
arterial hypertension. But this is all going down on a Sunday,
September twenty second in Santa Monica. Big a kickoff at
nine a m. A little five k and then you
(10:28):
are walking from La to San Diego as part of
the fundraiser.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
So about two years ago, when I was feeling much
much better, I decided that I wanted to do something
to raise awareness for this rare disease that doesn't have
a cure. And I do it. Like I mentioned, I
do a ton of walking. I do so much walking
that people see me throughout the West Side once twice
three times a day. And so I've been given the
(10:54):
nickname the walking Guy for people in my neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Than cute.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I was in mikon Os, Greece with their family this
summer and we were eating breakfast and a mother and
a daughter walked by us and she turns to me
and says, are you from Los Angeles? And I said yes,
And she said are you from Bratwood And I said yes,
and she says, are you from you know certain certain street?
I said, yeah. She grabs your daughter by the arm
and goes, oh my god, it's the walking guy and
(11:19):
this is.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
What are the odds of that? I love that though,
see inspiration around the neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
You got recognized, and now on a larger scale with
this fundraiser, and just walking as a whole is so
good for you. You know, I interview a lot of
doctors on the show, and as often as I have
doctors say it on the radio, I hope you're hearing that.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
From your doctors in real life. And just walking is
good for you.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Getting out there, getting your body moving, getting that blood pumping,
getting your heart going.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
It's all good for you. Only going to benefit your
overall health.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Agreed, agreed. And so you know, all this walking, I thought,
you know, I want to raise money and awareness. What
can I do? And so what better way to do this?
And to put on a walk. And this, this idea
that started in my head has just kind of blown up.
And now I'm going from La to San Diego gonna
(12:10):
do I'm gonna take on that walk over six days,
averaging about twenty five to thirty miles a day.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Who all right, you can do it?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, I can do it. And what really started as
something that was just going to be friends and family.
You know, there's just been an outpouring of support and
everybody we tell our story to, whether it's people we
know or strangers, or people that see our flyers or
you know, retail shops that we're asking to support, everybody
(12:40):
has been so supportive. We haven't gotten one know yet,
and it's just been so heartwarming and heartfelt that what
started as a battle, a personal battle for myself over
the last four years and really over the last two years,
has become me just being a catalyst. And you know,
this personal journey has turned in to me just wanting
(13:01):
to help others. Yeah, and all.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
The while becoming a bit of an inspiration to others
to move your body and do the same.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
You know, for all those patients, for most of those
patients that you know have very dire diagnosises, and most people,
you know, they don't make it. You know, there was
a my nurse was taking care of a patient, same diagnosis,
same time, went into the hospital, same severity, and she
was a twenty three year old female. I was forty
seven at the time, and she died five months after diagnosis. Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, this is hardcore. It's a hardcore condition disease.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
It is most people I know that are my age
with this that are involved on the on the philanthropic side,
know people who'se either siblings or sons or daughters haven't
made it. I'm extremely fortunate and yeah, so that's why
you and.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
The family have put together your first ever big fund
raiser for this cause to help people like you feel
as good as you do now thanks to all this
walking they're putting on Where is EB?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Where in the heck is that? Eric Borstein?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It's a five k kicking off at the Annenburg Community
Beach House in Santa Monica on September twenty second, kicks
off at nine am.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
All the info at where is EB? Where is EB
dot org?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And then you're gonna be taken off to walk to
San Diego over one hundred and sixty miles who walk
to San Diego?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
And are people invited to walk that as well? Are
we invited?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Oh, we are.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
With me.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
If you're that.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Hardcore welcome, Yeah, they're more than welcome.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
To Okay, good, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But if you want to start smaller and just meet
him and meet the gang and come out to a
show support and help raise some money and just do
an easy little five k three point one miles in
Santa Monica on September twenty second.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
You can do that, and there's gonna be some food.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Right, There's gonna be some you know, light breakfast and
some speakers and then we're going to walk. Then everybody
who's gonna send me on my way and I'm gonna
head down to San Diego.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I love it and again, and all the information, the
information is on this website you set up. Where is
eb for Eric Borstein? Where is eb dot org the
big Hickoff. I bet you're gonna have a lot of
people from your neighborhood come out and tew you on,
because it sounds like even for you know, you'd be
in inspiration for maybe some folks might be a little lazy.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Hey he's walking again today. Look at that guy.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
You know what, I should get off my butt and
do a little walk and it'll be good for me.
So I'm sure to have a huge turnout in the
neighborhood from lots of folks who know you, and of
course who are hearing this conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I hope.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So the five k kicking off at nine am on Sunday,
September twenty second, nine o'clock in the morning, Little of
five k Annamburger Community Beach House in Santa Monica. All
are welcome to come by and just you know, meet
Eric learn about his story. As you're hearing now learn
about this very difficult, rare disease. Is it heart disease
or it's a lung disease. It's category in the category
(15:50):
of a lung disease or.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
The heart it's a lung disease, heart failure.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
That's tied to this very rare lung disease. And as
you've been hearing, Eric SHARE's story alive four years later
after a get pretty much given it, pretty much a
death sentence by the doctors, but still here four years
later thanks to walking. You kind of walked it off,
you walked through it, you pushed through it, and now
look at you now. So congratulations. I was thinking, not
(16:14):
congratulations on living, but kind of right on concering it,
inspiring others, and then getting people to come together for
your event to help raise this money to help other.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
People with this very rare condition that you have or
that you had.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, we're raising the money for an organization called team
Phenomenal Hope, which was started by two doctors that specialize
in pulmonary hypertension. It pairs athletes with patients that have
pulmonary hypertension and they raise money to provide you know,
for unmet needs, prescription drug assistance, mental health education, and
(16:51):
research for promonary higher pretension. But it provides for people
that aren't as fortunate as I've been to have this
amazing group of family and friends and community and doctors.
What better, what I thought, what better fit than an
organization that uses the exercise to raise awareness than for
somebody that has used exercise. Sure eet the odds and
(17:15):
get to where I am today to save your life.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, Eric, thank you so much for sharing your story.
Eric Borstein. You can find out all the information about
his event at his.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Where is eb? Where is that? Eric Borstein? Where is he?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
He's going to San Diego, but you can find out
all the information about his event on September twenty second
in Santa Monica at where is eb dot org? Where
is EB dot org? Ah, wonderful, Eric, thank you so
much for sharing your story. And it's going to be
a great day out there, and hope you're going to
have it. Are you gonna update everybody on social media
throughout the walk?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
We are. We're going to have social media on the website. Yes,
and we're going to be doing daily vlogs and blogs
and yes, it's going to be Yes. I'd love you
to find all on the website.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Wonderful. I love it. Thank you again, Eric Borstein. Where
is dot org? For more?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thank you so much, Lisa, Thank you. I appreciate the
time and this opportunity. Thank you.
Hello, It's Lisa Fox and this is the iHeart So
Cal Show, our show that puts the spotlight on charitable organizations,
nonprofits and people giving back. My guest today not only
does he give back, but he's also very lucky to
be alive. Four years ago this month, he almost died
due to severe right heart failure. He spent sixteen days
in the ICU, where he was diagnosed with a very
(00:20):
rare lung disease called to make sure I say this right, Eric,
pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
That is correct, very good, a disease.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
With no cure.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So here's what's happening. September twenty second. He and his
family are putting on their first ever fundraiser. This man
is walking from La to San Diego, which we're about
to ask.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Why that's far.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
That's very far, but of course it's all to raise
money and awareness and hopes of finding a cure and
helping people who have what Eric has. So please welcome
Eric Borstein.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hi, Eric, Hi, thank you thank you so much for
having me well.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
And we met.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
We haven't met in person yet, but we know of
each other through our very dear mutual friend.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Hi. Alessandro we love you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
And Alie Sander was like, you got to hear Eric's story,
you know, and knowing that this very rare disease should
have already taken your life by now.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
In my gosh, you've got a wife and kids. I'm
betting you're pretty grateful for for every day.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Every day is a blessing, you know, after what happened
to me four years ago this month, you don't ever
take anything for granted anymore, my gosh.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Right, So okay, Eric, So take us back four years ago.
Were you suddenly just not feeling well and then you collapsed?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Like what led up to this?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah? So I was very active, played a lot of
uh sports growing up into my adult life, you know,
mountain bike riding, tennis, you know, did a lot in
the in the months and probably i'll call it a
year leading up to what happened, I wasn't feeling well.
I was starting the show signs of what was going
(01:56):
to end up being a severe heart failure. But I
didn't go to the doctor. And you know, somebody that's
part of my team now is a psychologist, and I
learned very early on that a lot of men don't
go to the doctor up to seventy five percent of
men don't go to the doctor when something is wrong.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
And I bet your wife bugged you all the time.
I bet you bugged you all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
My wife not only bugged me all the time, but
in the weeks leading up to it. One night, when
we were laying in bed, she said, you know, I
don't want to wake up with you dead. And I'm
really hoping that you go to the doctor because you
have three amazing children and myself and a lot to lose,
And so was pushing me. But I was afraid to
(02:42):
find out what was wrong. And I knew something was wrong.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
And what were the kind of symptoms? You know, were
you feeling sluggish? Did you have pain? Were you having
trouble breathing?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, I had severe swelling and the abdomen and ankles.
I couldn't walk more than twenty feet without being severely
out of breath. I was having problems sleeping. It was
really really painful, but I was fighting through it. I
was still playing paddle tennis with friends, I was still
going on bike rides. But I was definitely definitely fighting
through a severe illness.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
All right, So your west side guy, and what were
you at age. Did all this happen forties?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Fifties?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I'm fifty one.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And then what happened on September twenty second, four years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, So it was September twenty first, and I woke
up and wasn't feeling well, and so laid down in
my home office. And like a lot of times in
the past when I didn't feel well, I figured I
would just you know, go back to the room and
lay down and after a day or two I'd feel fine.
(03:41):
And that just didn't happen. I really was feeling terrible,
and so I decided to walk upstairs, made it up
to the top of the steps, and everything just started
closing in on me. And it was the most painful
thirty steps of my life. I sat down on the bed,
I stood back up, and with my hands at my side,
(04:02):
when face down, went unconscious. And unfortunately, you know, it
was during COVID. Well fortunately during COVID, but unfortunately, because
it was during COVID, my children were home and one
of my girls saw me go down yelled out to
my wife, who was downstairs getting my son ready for
zoom like everybody was doing for school. Yeah, and I
(04:26):
woke up probably what was thirty minutes later with the
paramedics in the bedroom and I was dying. I had
been I was dying in the bedroom. Paramedics quickly got
me to the emergency room where I was stabilized, and
after twenty four hours, I was transported to Cedar Sina,
(04:47):
where I spent sixteen days in the cardiac ICU. In
the ICU, I was diagnosed with severe red heart failure
and what was to be pulmony arteria hypertension, which is
an extremely rare disease and it falls under you know,
the classification of pulmonary hypertension.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And when they told you that you had that, Eric,
were you like, uh wait, what what's it called?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I'm gonna have to google that one. I never even
heard of that.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
So I definitely had never heard of it. I was
kind of out of it, but my wife and my
family definitely were doing a lot of googling and calling
doctors and finding out what it was, because it's it's
a disease, you know, PEH only only probably is diagnosed
in five hundred to one thousand people a year. It's
very rare.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Nationwide, Yeah, nationwinow rare.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, it's the rarest form of pulmonary hypertension, and.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
So essentially, and explain in a nutshell, what does it
mean your heart isn't.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Doing in a in a healthy human, your right ventricle
is supposed to be much smaller than your left, and
in my case, my right ventricle was two and a
half times the size of my left. Oh, and so
if you can just picture a hose, and if you
squeeze a hose really really tight and the water can't
get through, everything starts to back up. My heart couldn't
(06:06):
pump the blood through my lungs because my pulmonary agies
and my lungs were so constricted that my right ventricle
was just overworked and my heart failed.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Ah. So scary.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
So your rush at the hospital, the paramedics kind of
bring you back. Essentially, the doctor says, you have a
very rare lung disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease
with no cure.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So unbeknownst to me, they told my wife when I
was in the hospital that they didn't know if I
was going to leave the hospital. Then once I was
stabilized and I was put on an intravenous medication that
was pumped into me twenty four hours a day. They
sent me home and they again I didn't ask, but
they told my wife I probably had three to six
(06:49):
months to live ah, and I would never get off
of that pump. The medication that I was on was
extremely difficult. The side effects were extremely difficult. Body burning
from the inside out, nausea, headaches, pain in the bottom
of your feet, just terrible side of you know, you're
up all night. But I told my wife when I
(07:11):
was in the hospital, I said, and I didn't know
what it meant with this man at the time, but
I'm going to beat this like this is not going
to defeat me. And I'm going to do everything that
I can to beat this disease. And so I got
home and I had to find a way to fight
through these side effects. And I learned very quickly that
walking helped mitigate the side effects. So I began walking.
(07:33):
And one of the things with pulmonary arterial hypertension is
you have trouble breathing, like most people are on oxygen
and they can't breathe, and you're suffocating from the inside
because your lung capacity is just is permanently damaged. But
I started walking, and I fought and fought and fought,
and the next thing you know, I'm walking a block,
and then I'm walking two blocks, and it led to
(07:55):
a mile and two miles, and eventually I was hitting milestones.
I was walking six eight miles up Vestor's Trail and.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
And just feeling better or feeling like the disease was
suddenly more manageable.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Right both, I was feeling much better. I was feeling
more manageable. And after a year, I got off the
pump and all of a sudden, what was a diagnosis of,
you know, three to six months was now a year.
And I just kept blowing through every single milestone that
I was given, an expectation that I was given. So
(08:29):
where now four years later, I'm still on three medications
where the side effects, you know, the mornings are awful,
but I most days get out of bed and power
through and I now average fifteen miles a day walking
and I'm undiagnosable.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Wow, my gosh, that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Yeah, and my heart has made a complete recovery. I
go through echoes every three months. And my doctors, who
were some of the just the most wonderful, best doctors
in the world say that my heart looks like a
twenty two year old you know athletes hert Wow, look
at that.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
I'm thinking, Eric.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
The doctors are like, this is a miracle, but probably
using what you did with all this walking as maybe
a new way to treat this disease, to help people
who have this rare disease.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Most definitely walking and diet, I mean diet has been
a big part of this, you know, exercise, diet, stress maintenance.
You know, I've got I tell people, I've got an
amazing business partner who's taken on a big load of
what we do. And it's allowed me to dedicate my
life to my health and getting better and you know,
(09:41):
being the best husband and dad and friend and you
know that I can be. And the stress management is
a big part of the two. Like I mentioned, I
have a psychologist who I spoke speak with once a
week who and I never miss his call. It just
you know, the walking helps physically, but it helps me
and I've learned the mental battle is equally as important
(10:05):
as the physical battle.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Sure, And now you and the family put together your
first ever fundraiser for this cause. It's Where's eb Where
is that Eric Borstein, You're raising money and awareness for pulmonary
arterial hypertension. But this is all going down on a Sunday,
September twenty second in Santa Monica. Big a kickoff at
nine a m. A little five k and then you
(10:28):
are walking from La to San Diego as part of
the fundraiser.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
So about two years ago, when I was feeling much
much better, I decided that I wanted to do something
to raise awareness for this rare disease that doesn't have
a cure. And I do it. Like I mentioned, I
do a ton of walking. I do so much walking
that people see me throughout the West Side once twice
three times a day. And so I've been given the
(10:54):
nickname the walking Guy for people in my neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Than cute.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I was in mikon Os, Greece with their family this
summer and we were eating breakfast and a mother and
a daughter walked by us and she turns to me
and says, are you from Los Angeles? And I said yes,
And she said are you from Bratwood And I said yes,
and she says, are you from you know certain certain street?
I said, yeah. She grabs your daughter by the arm
and goes, oh my god, it's the walking guy and
(11:19):
this is.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
What are the odds of that? I love that though,
see inspiration around the neighborhood.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
You got recognized, and now on a larger scale with
this fundraiser, and just walking as a whole is so
good for you. You know, I interview a lot of
doctors on the show, and as often as I have
doctors say it on the radio, I hope you're hearing that.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
From your doctors in real life. And just walking is
good for you.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Getting out there, getting your body moving, getting that blood pumping,
getting your heart going.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
It's all good for you. Only going to benefit your
overall health.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Agreed, agreed. And so you know, all this walking, I thought,
you know, I want to raise money and awareness. What
can I do? And so what better way to do this?
And to put on a walk. And this, this idea
that started in my head has just kind of blown up.
And now I'm going from La to San Diego gonna
(12:10):
do I'm gonna take on that walk over six days,
averaging about twenty five to thirty miles a day.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Who all right, you can do it?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, I can do it. And what really started as
something that was just going to be friends and family.
You know, there's just been an outpouring of support and
everybody we tell our story to, whether it's people we
know or strangers, or people that see our flyers or
you know, retail shops that we're asking to support, everybody
(12:40):
has been so supportive. We haven't gotten one know yet,
and it's just been so heartwarming and heartfelt that what
started as a battle, a personal battle for myself over
the last four years and really over the last two years,
has become me just being a catalyst. And you know,
this personal journey has turned in to me just wanting
(13:01):
to help others. Yeah, and all.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
The while becoming a bit of an inspiration to others
to move your body and do the same.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
You know, for all those patients, for most of those
patients that you know have very dire diagnosises, and most people,
you know, they don't make it. You know, there was
a my nurse was taking care of a patient, same diagnosis,
same time, went into the hospital, same severity, and she
was a twenty three year old female. I was forty
seven at the time, and she died five months after diagnosis. Wow.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, this is hardcore. It's a hardcore condition disease.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
It is most people I know that are my age
with this that are involved on the on the philanthropic side,
know people who'se either siblings or sons or daughters haven't
made it. I'm extremely fortunate and yeah, so that's why
you and.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
The family have put together your first ever big fund
raiser for this cause to help people like you feel
as good as you do now thanks to all this
walking they're putting on Where is EB?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Where in the heck is that? Eric Borstein?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It's a five k kicking off at the Annenburg Community
Beach House in Santa Monica on September twenty second, kicks
off at nine am.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
All the info at where is EB? Where is EB
dot org?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And then you're gonna be taken off to walk to
San Diego over one hundred and sixty miles who walk
to San Diego?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
And are people invited to walk that as well? Are
we invited?
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Oh, we are.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
With me.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
If you're that.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Hardcore welcome, Yeah, they're more than welcome.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
To Okay, good, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But if you want to start smaller and just meet
him and meet the gang and come out to a
show support and help raise some money and just do
an easy little five k three point one miles in
Santa Monica on September twenty second.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
You can do that, and there's gonna be some food.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Right, There's gonna be some you know, light breakfast and
some speakers and then we're going to walk. Then everybody
who's gonna send me on my way and I'm gonna
head down to San Diego.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
I love it and again, and all the information, the
information is on this website you set up. Where is
eb for Eric Borstein? Where is eb dot org the
big Hickoff. I bet you're gonna have a lot of
people from your neighborhood come out and tew you on,
because it sounds like even for you know, you'd be
in inspiration for maybe some folks might be a little lazy.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Hey he's walking again today. Look at that guy.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
You know what, I should get off my butt and
do a little walk and it'll be good for me.
So I'm sure to have a huge turnout in the
neighborhood from lots of folks who know you, and of
course who are hearing this conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I hope.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So the five k kicking off at nine am on Sunday,
September twenty second, nine o'clock in the morning, Little of
five k Annamburger Community Beach House in Santa Monica. All
are welcome to come by and just you know, meet
Eric learn about his story. As you're hearing now learn
about this very difficult, rare disease. Is it heart disease
or it's a lung disease. It's category in the category
(15:50):
of a lung disease or.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
The heart it's a lung disease, heart failure.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
That's tied to this very rare lung disease. And as
you've been hearing, Eric SHARE's story alive four years later
after a get pretty much given it, pretty much a
death sentence by the doctors, but still here four years
later thanks to walking. You kind of walked it off,
you walked through it, you pushed through it, and now
look at you now. So congratulations. I was thinking, not
(16:14):
congratulations on living, but kind of right on concering it,
inspiring others, and then getting people to come together for
your event to help raise this money to help other.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
People with this very rare condition that you have or
that you had.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, we're raising the money for an organization called team
Phenomenal Hope, which was started by two doctors that specialize
in pulmonary hypertension. It pairs athletes with patients that have
pulmonary hypertension and they raise money to provide you know,
for unmet needs, prescription drug assistance, mental health education, and
(16:51):
research for promonary higher pretension. But it provides for people
that aren't as fortunate as I've been to have this
amazing group of family and friends and community and doctors.
What better, what I thought, what better fit than an
organization that uses the exercise to raise awareness than for
somebody that has used exercise. Sure eet the odds and
(17:15):
get to where I am today to save your life.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Yeah, Eric, thank you so much for sharing your story.
Eric Borstein. You can find out all the information about
his event at his.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Where is eb? Where is that? Eric Borstein? Where is he?
Speaker 1 (17:28):
He's going to San Diego, but you can find out
all the information about his event on September twenty second
in Santa Monica at where is eb dot org? Where
is EB dot org? Ah, wonderful, Eric, thank you so
much for sharing your story. And it's going to be
a great day out there, and hope you're going to
have it. Are you gonna update everybody on social media
throughout the walk?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
We are. We're going to have social media on the website. Yes,
and we're going to be doing daily vlogs and blogs
and yes, it's going to be Yes. I'd love you
to find all on the website.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Wonderful. I love it. Thank you again, Eric Borstein. Where
is dot org? For more?
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Thank you so much, Lisa, Thank you. I appreciate the
time and this opportunity. Thank you.
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