Details
When Ricardo rides his stationary bike he leaves the memory of heart failure further and further behind. After he was diagnosed with amyloidosis, specialists at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center were able to arrest the production of amyloid protein that destroyed his heart and perform a heart transplant.
Ricardo had felt his life waning for two years but doctors could not find the problem. "I used to walk a mile and a half to work but suddenly I was so exhausted that just taking a shower was a mission. None of the medications helped me," he remembers.
Primary AL amyloidosis is a rare blood disorder that results in production of abnormal protein (amyloid) that is deposited as fibers on organs such as the heart, kidneys, nerves and intestines. Because the condition is uncommon - only about 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. Most physicians have little experience diagnosing or treating the condition.