Member Spotlight: Sergio Lopes
February is National Heart Month, and we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate all of our members taking action to improve their heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, taking nearly 700,000 lives per year. While not all cases of heart disease are preventable, the risk is lower for people who follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and take care of their mental health. In other words, Mighty Health members like you!
Today, we want to highlight Sergio, one of our inspirational Mighty Health community members. Sergio has had two heart transplants, and Mighty Health helped him commit to a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. He is excited to share his story and his tips for healthy aging.
Sergio’s Mighty Health Journey
Sergio has had a long and successful professional career in marketing and branding for major musical talent. Born in Brazil, he loved music from a young age and started his first band when he was 9 years old. Just five years later, at age 14, he signed his first contract with a record label. Despite the thrill of this accomplishment and the band’s popular success, Sergio says, “nobody wants to be an artist.” With a keen sense for branding, Sergio realized that he could apply his talents to marketing musical artists. He joined CBS Records as a marketing director and stayed on after the label was acquired by Sony Music. After 10 years working in Brazil, he moved to Florida to focus on developing Latin artists for the label.
During his career, Sergio worked with some of the hottest names in pop music: Ricky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Destiny’s Child, and other stars. Now, at age 69, Sergio continues to live a vibrant and active life. Professionally, he remains active in his two companies that focus on financial services and brand building. Through his diverse career, he has come to see himself as an educator: “I educate artists to be artists, I educate brands to be brands.”
But Sergio is more than just a successful business person. He is also one of a small number of people to receive not just one heart transplant, but two. When he found out he needed a heart transplant three years ago, Sergio knew the numbers were not in his favor. The list of people waiting for a heart transplant is long, at around 14,000 people. But not every heart is compatible for every person. Doctors run a series of lab tests to ensure that blood type and dozens of other factors make a person a good candidate for a given heart.
Even more important than the biological match, says Sergio, are psychological factors. Every transplant candidate undergoes an extensive psychological evaluation to ensure they are cognitively and emotionally able to go through the transplant process. As he explains, you need “the perfect combination of the mind and the body” for a successful transplant.
Making things even more complicated, there is a very narrow time window for heart transplants. A heart can only last for six hours after donation, meaning doctors must work quickly. Sergio was working at his office in western Florida when he got the call: Cleveland Clinic had priority for a heart donation if they could identify a recipient within one hour. That narrowed the list from 14,000 to 3,000. Within the pool of 3,000, only twelve people were eligible based on their biological profile. Sergio was one of those twelve, and he was told his psychological evaluation was part of what sealed the deal. He rushed to the hospital to receive the transplant. Although his first heart transplant ultimately was unsuccessful, Sergio received a second heart transplant five months ago. He’s honored to have received another person’s heart and wants to give back by leading other people on a journey to better health.
As is evident from his long and successful career, Sergio has a passion for finding the potential in people and brands. He uses this to build them into the best versions of themselves. It’s the same energy he brings to his Mighty Health experience. Joining Mighty Health gave Sergio an opportunity to work on his own physical and mental health. Since beginning his Mighty Health journey, Sergio says, “my lifestyle is much more healthy.” Sergio has observed firsthand the connection between strong mental health and positive physical health outcomes. That focus on psychological wellness is part of what drew him to Mighty Health.
Sergio is thankful every day for his two heart transplants, and he wants to put his new heart to good use by looking forward to the future. With the help of Mighty Health, he has set some new goals for himself. His target date for achieving them? His 70th birthday, on September 26, 2022.
Sergio knows that channeling his energy into slow, steady progress toward his wellness goals is a surefire way to be successful. As part of his Mighty Health community, we’re cheering you on every step of the way, Sergio. We can’t wait to celebrate your birthday with you in a few short months!
Sergio is a fantastic example of what it means to be part of the Mighty Health community: using grit and determination to become stronger and healthier, both physically and mentally. We are so thankful to have him as a Mighty Health member. As we celebrate National Heart Month, we wish Sergio and all Mighty Health members the best as you work toward healthier hearts, bodies, and minds.
