In November 2014, then 53-year-old Eric Polans was rushed to the emergency department of his local New Jersey hospital, with breathing problems. At the hospital, after five days of running tests, they believed he had two leaky heart valves. But there was a problem. The doctors felt his symptoms were not typical for leaky heart valves, so they were not sure what was causing his symptoms. Based on the hospital testing, Eric's condition confounded his primary care doctor, who referred him to a cardiologist. But after four months, the cardiologist had yet to devise an effective treatment plan.
"The doctor was treating me for leaky heart valves and was considered having valve replacement surgery on me," Eric recalls. "He decided to run one more test - an MRI of my heart. In that MRI they found the amyloid protein."