A sports performance trainer, competitive body builder and lifelong athlete, Wayne Howard thought it was odd when he could not catch his breath during the warmup portion of a Crossfit class back in the summer of 2016. "I went to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face, and tried to continue the class, but I had to sit out," says Wayne. "The next day, I started out on a run with my wife Jodi. I did not get 20 strides in before I could not breathe. It brought me to my knees."
A visit to his local doctor's office in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, led to a diagnosis of asthma, but using an inhaler did not help. At a follow-up appointment at a larger medical center in Pittsburgh, Wayne underwent a heart biopsy that led to a diagnosis of cardiac AL amyloidosis.