“Good Morning America” weatherman Sam Champion revealed that his shortness of breath alerted doctors that he needed emergency heart surgery.
Champion returned to the ABC morning show on Wednesday after a two-day absence and gave an update on his health following his life-saving procedure.
“You know me, I think I’m healthy, I think I have an active lifestyle,” Champion told viewers. “It’s something I love to do, really.”
“And a lot of my tests said I was pretty healthy,” he continued. “But one test ended up saving my life. I want to share that with you.”
The 64-year-old explained that his doctors performed a nuclear stress test when he exhibited shortness of breath, and the troubling results led him to undergo a cardiac catheterization.
Dr. Tara Narula, a board-certified cardiologist, explained on “GMA” that the procedure involves putting a catheter in the artery up to the heart muscle and taking pictures to see the extent of the blockage.
If the arteries are more than 70 percent clogged, the surgeon uses a stent to open up the artery and restore the blood flow.
Dr. Narula noted that the surgery doesn’t involve a long recovery, though they do tell people to “limit certain activities” like heavy lifting.
“But certainly you are back up and at it,” she said. “But I think people are surprised to see you can have a stent put in and have this heart procedure and be looking exactly how you do.”
Champion revealed on Sunday that he underwent heart surgery at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City.
He shared a photo of himself sitting in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines.
“Many of you know I had a nuclear stress test last Thursday,” he wrote in his Instagram post. “And we found some things that needed to be taken care of.”
Champion told fans that he’s doing “well” and is “expected to make a full recovery” following his surgery.
The weather anchor previously underwent multiple surgeries for his skin cancer that he publicly disclosed on “GMA” in October 2024.
At the time, Champion said he had an unusual mark on his face, which turned out to be nodular basal cell carcinoma, and got three procedures done that left him with a scar under one of his eyes.
He also shared a plea with viewers to “be very vigilant” about noticing any skin spots, especially after being in the sun.
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