By Ben Barry
A man who had a dream he died of a heart attack was diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition and needed life-saving surgery.
Jeremy Schwartz, 63, had a detailed dream that he suddenly died of a heart attack while climbing Ama Dablam – a 6812m mountain he was due to climb in October 2025.
Awakened from his dream at 3 a.m., Jeremy immediately searched online for a consultant cardiologist and went for an appointment two days later.
Jeremy underwent a heart scan, blood tests, an MRI, a CT scan and an echocardiogram – a non-invasive ultrasound scan – and was told he had an aortic aneurysm – a dangerous, weakening and bulging of the aorta that can rupture – on September 26, 2025.
He was transferred to Cesare Quarto, a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic London, and underwent the David procedure – an open-heart surgery that replaces a diseased aortic root – which was successful.
Jeremy, a business executive and motivational speaker, from Oxted, Surrey, said: “I am not a tarot card reader or a spiritualist, and I’m not religious.
“I’ve never had anything like a premonition before. But this dream was so strong and so clear that it left me with an overwhelming sense of importance and urgency.
“I had an image of me dying of a heart attack on a mountain.
“It was so vivid, clear and memorable, I went online to research consultant cardiologists that I could see immediately.”
After booking a trip to climb the Ama Dablam, Nepal, Jeremy had a dream that he died of a heart attack whilst climbing the mountain.
He immediately contacted a consultant cardiologist, who booked him in for an appointment a few days later.
Jeremy said: “I had multiple heart scans, a full blood test, an MRI, a CT scan and an echocardiogram.
“The consultant told me that based on the results, I had an aortic aneurysm and I needed to cancel everything I had planned.
“He called a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who agreed and said I needed an operation.”
Jeremy said his diagnosis came as a “complete shock”.
Earlier in 2025, he rode the 1,000 mile length of Italy and a solo, 120âmile circumnavigation of a mountain range in Albania.
“I think my subconscious helped make sure I became aware of something that might otherwise have remained hidden,” Jeremy said.
On November 11, 2025, Jeremy underwent open-heart surgery to replace his diseased aortic root and aneurysm while preserving his own aortic valve.
The six-hour surgery was completed without complications, and the staff at the Cleveland Clinic got Jeremy walking almost immediately after surgery.
Cesare Quarto, MD, PhD, who performed Jeremy’s surgery, said: “I strongly believe some patients have an internal alarm bell that starts ringing. Some are able to hear it, and some aren’t.
“It is not the first time I have heard a similar story.”
Looking back, Jeremy believes several factors may have contributed to the intuition he felt about his upcoming climbing expedition.
About a year earlier, while on a business trip, he recorded a higherâthanânormal blood pressure reading.
Additionally, a friend from his local cycling club had died suddenly of a heart attack while riding. And later, he learned on the very day he was scheduled to climb Ama Dablam, another climber on the mountain collapsed and died from a heart attack.
“One of the challenges for men is we often delay taking important medical action,” Jeremy said.
“A lot of these conditions are preventable or treatable if you catch them early. That’s why I went into my surgery with all guns blazing. Let’s get this thing done.”
After just eight days, Jeremy was discharged and continued his recovery at home, and recently, Jeremy started rigorous cardiac rehabilitation.
Now, Jeremy is using his experience to urge others to get themselves checked, and has organised a heart health screening day in collaboration with his local NHS GP surgery and The Cleveland Clinic on April 25, 2025.
Jeremy said: “If something feels wrong, it’s not clever or manly to pretend it isn’t.
“Don’t wait, don’t rationalize, don’t tough it out. Get it checked out. It’s how you get to keep living the life you love.”
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