People can live normal lives with Congenital Heart Defects. From the outside, these people look healthy, and some are, while others are not. You would never know meeting these celebrities that they had a CHD. There’s a saying “if you watch a group of kids running around, you would never know who had a heart defect unless they lifted their shirt.” This list, which may shock you, includes Olympians, Athletes, Musicians and more, all with an invisible illness.
Athletes
Shaun White – Olympic Snowboarder and Skateboarder – Tetralogy of Fallot- Michael Montgomery – NFL player – Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome
- Tedy Bruschi – NFL player – Atrial Septal Defect
- Steve Hutchinson – NFL player – undisclosed
- Mark Miller – MMA fighter – Aortic Stenosis
- Erik Compton – Professional Golfer – Viral Cardiomyopathy (2 heart transplants!)
- Carroll Shelby – Automotive designer, racing driver, entrepreneur – Unspecified Congenital Heart Valve Disease
- Kirk Urso – Professional Soccer Player – passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 22
- John Fox – NFL Coach – Nonspecific Aortic Valve
- Dan Hardy – MMA Fighter – Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome
- Brian Roberts – MLB player – Atrial Septal Defect
- Brandon Rouse – NCAA football player – Coronary Hypoplasia, passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 20
- Ramie Mohlman – US Olympic Gold Medalist (Soccer) – Unspecified Heart Valve Defect
- Jane Lee – Marathon Runner – Tetralogy of Fallot
- Mackinzie Klein – Professional Golfer – Heterotaxy Syndrome
- Nwankwo Kanu – Olympic Gold Medalist (Soccer) – Aortic Valve Defect
- Lauren Holiday – Olympic Gold Medalist (Soccer) – Aortic Septal Defect
- Aaron Boone – MLB player – Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Beau Casson – Australian Cricket player – Tetralogy of Fallot, 2 Open Heart Surgeries
- Jennifer Phillips – NCAA basketball player – Aortic Septal Defect
Musicians
- Brian Littrell – Singer (Backstreet Boys) – Ventricular Septal Defect
- Jessie J – Singer – Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome
- Bret Michaels – Musician (Poison) – Atrial Septal Defect, Patent Foramen Ovale
- Joe Strummer – Musician (Clash) – passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 50
- John Glascock – Musician (Jethro Tull) – passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 28
- Paul Cardall – Pianist – Complicated CHD/Heart Transplant
- Corey Smoot – Musician (GWAR) – passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 34
- Jimmy Osmond – Musician (the Osmonds) – Atrial Septal Defect (5 relatives also have ASD)
- Mark O’Shea – Musician – Tetralogy of Fallot
- Marilyn Manson – Musician – Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome
Actors / Actresses
- Arnold Schwarzenegger – Actor – Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Whitney Duncan – Survivor Contestant – Atrial Septal Defect
- Miley Cyrus – Singer & Actress – Tachycardia
- Ed Helms – Actor – Undisclosed CHD
- Max Page – Child Actor (Darth Vader in VW Superbowl ad) – Tetralogy of Fallot
- John Ritter – Actor – passed away due to undiagnosed CHD at age 55
- Robbie Benson – Actor/Director – Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Damon Daniel Weber – Actor – Hypoplasia, possible HRHS (Father passed from CHD)
- Kat Edorsson – Survivor Contestant – Unspecified CHD, 2 Open Heart Surgeries
- Valerie Azlynn – Actress – Atrial Septal Defect