The Story of my father, Jack Emperor:, March 2004

The Story of my father, Jack Emperor: This story goes out to Dr. Brugada and fellow researchers who are working daily to understand this often deadly cardiac syndrome. It also goes out to the millions who have died from this disorder all over the world, especially my father who died in the prime of his life. My name is James Emperor and I want to tell you a short story about Brugada Syndrome and how it has affected my life. I think that it is very important to put a face on this disorder by including the name of an individual who died from it. My father Jack Emperor died at the age of 48 in 1974 leaving his wife, seven children, numerous grandchildren, and a successful business. When my father died in his sleep at such a young age, we were quite shocked. At the time, we had no idea what had taken him. Other than rheumatoid arthritis, he had no other known illnesses. The coroner said that his structurally healthy heart just stopped. In the fall of 2002 a sibling was having symptoms that pointed to Brugada syndrome. The specialist told our family that we should all have our ECGs done. At the time, I did not even think my father’s death was related. In fact, I was told that the disorder was highly genetic but typically found in Asians. Taking into account our Irish and French descent, we did not think that we had Brugada syndrome. It wasn’t until January of 2003 when I decided to do some research on my own I found the Brugada Syndrome website. I decided to fax my medical records to Dr. Brugada personally. Almost ten minutes after faxing my ECG over to Dr. Brugada’s office, my telephone rang. It was Dr. Ramon Brugada and he told me that my ECG showed abnormalities, in other words, “full blown Brugada Syndrome”. He began to ask questions about my family and their medical history. That is when I discovered, in a sense by serendipity, how my father had died. I also realized that, as of now, there is no known cure for this deadly “strike of death” but there is a treatment that can be 100 percent effective. Although, like my father before me, I showed no physical symptoms or cardiac events that could be directly related to the syndrome, it really made no sense at all to play Russian roulette with my life. Brugada syndrome usually strikes without warning, and is more often than not, deadly the first time around, as seen in my father’s case. I decided that the only logical option was the ICD. With help from Dr. Brugada, I found an expert right here in the state of Michigan. I had my Electrophysiology (EP) study done at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit by Dr. Subramaniam Krishnan. Currently, two other relatives have done the same. I recently decided that it was important my father's story be told. As already stated, he died with seven children and four grandchildren (and of course many more after that). This man was taken from all of us when his life was just beginning to bear fruit. He was a prominent business owner in our city and he had everything to live for. His heart just stopped, yes, just like a bolt of lightening out of the sky. At the time the ICD was available but in a very early and primitive form. The problem was, we did not know where the bolt of lightening was coming from or what caused it. There was nothing we could do then, but fortunately for my wife and children’s sake, Dr. Brugada and his colleagues have given me hope where my father had none. Please consider using our story as if anything my father's death can be used to help others. Thanks again for your hard work!! Mr. and Mrs. James Emperor and family. James Emperor, Erin Emperor and baby (pregnant), Rachel and Eden. James' son Jack was born July 3rd 2005.