Gregory David: “Running saved my life”

Gregory David was 20 when he discovered he was living with an enlarged aorta. An invisible threat he had carried since birth, revealed only after his father suffered a stroke in 2013. To survive, the Montpellier native underwent major surgery, during which his heart was stopped for more than five hours. His path has not always been straightforward, but he has learned to draw strength from it.

Gregory, known as “Greg”, is 32 years old today and doing well. But the past decade has been anything but smooth. When he was just 20, his father suffered a stroke. Genetic testing carried out afterwards revealed that Greg and one of his uncles had a heart condition, more specifically an enlarged aorta. The news came as a shock. Until then, Greg had no idea he was living with the condition. He had never experienced any discomfort or pain. Despite the lack of warning signs, the recommendations were strict: no more sport, no exertion that would raise his heart rate, and medication to slow it down. The main aim was to prevent excessive pressure on the aorta. Greg accepted that he would have to be careful, but suddenly giving up sport was still difficult to process. He remembers: “It really knocked me mentally not being able to blow off steam anymore. The difficult part was that I felt nothing, but I wasn’t allowed to do any sport.” Surgery was the only option available to him. At that point, however, the enlargement of his aorta was minor and therefore inoperable.

A life with an open heart

For ten years, he lived with that restriction and an aorta measuring 44 millimetres across. Every six months, he underwent check-ups. There was no critical progression, but the uncertainty remained in the background. “I thought about it every day. I lived with a sword hanging over my head.” It was not until 2023, after ten years, that surgery became an option, because his aorta had reached 53 millimetres. That was the threshold he needed to reach before surgery could go ahead. The process was long, involving several medical opinions and sometimes conflicting recommendations. Some specialists still suggested waiting. Greg felt it was time to act. “I wanted to move forward. I didn’t want to stay stuck in between anymore. Then my surgeon in Montpellier and I decided we were ready, and everything fell into place.” The operation was scheduled for 27 November 2023. He went into it fully aware of what lay ahead, without dramatizing the situation but with complete clarity: “I was ready. I knew it was necessary. I needed it to turn the page.” Despite his confidence and trust in the medical team, this was an extremely major operation. Greg might not have survived, or could have suffered very serious complications.

Fortunately, the operation went smoothly and there were no complications. But waking up after an operation in which your heart has been stopped for five hours is like being born a second time. Greg says 27 November is his new birthday. He remembers: “At first, I didn’t really understand what was happening. I was intubated, hooked up to machines everywhere, and strapped to the bed. I started to wake up, but I didn’t know what I was waking up from. I couldn’t even open my eyes. Then I heard my partner and my brother talking to me. My partner said, ‘Everything’s fine, it all went well, there were no complications.’ The first thing I thought after hearing that was: ‘I’m alive.’”

Running, almost by accident

Being born a second time at 30 is not something that happens every day. But Greg chooses to see the positive side and would not change a thing if he had to do it all over again. Why? Because today he has a mind of steel and, above all, he has discovered a brand-new passion: running. That outcome was far from guaranteed. Recovery after the operation was slow. During the first few days, he could not even get out of bed. It took almost a week before he could walk: “the first time they got me up, I made it 15 metres down the hospital corridor before collapsing.” He also remembers a defining moment after the operation, during his first session with the physiotherapist. She asked him to do a breathing exercise using a bottle and a straw. He had to blow into it to make bubbles and keep going for as long as possible. It sounds simple, but Greg lasted four seconds. He remembers those four little seconds clearly. They made him realise how far he still had to go. “I knew the medical staff had done their job, and that it was now up to me to give everything I had to get better.”

Greg recalls: “At the rehabilitation centre, they gradually got me moving again: indoor cycling, treadmill walking. We increased the pace little by little. But I wasn’t allowed to run for three months. They opened my entire sternum during the operation, and it takes time for it to heal.” Then the three months passed and Greg was cleared to run. “At first, I wasn’t doing it for the enjoyment. I just wanted to get my cardio back so I could go kitesurfing again. I ran without enjoying it.” And yet, without realising it straight away, something changed. The movement became repetitive. His endurance returned. His breathing grew steadier. His mind cleared. Little by little, he started to enjoy it. “That’s how it happened. I stuck with it at first because it was difficult. I’d lost half my cardio at 30. But I have to admit, over time, I started to love it.”

“Today, I have no trouble saying it: running saved my life.” He knows how fortunate he is simply to be able to run and feel alive, without fear. “I feel sorry for people who come out of open-heart surgery and don’t like sport. It kept me going. Even 15 minutes cleared my head.”

“Today, I have no trouble saying it: running saved my life.”
Gregory David

Since the operation, the progress he has made has been remarkable. Just four months after surgery, Greg lined up for his first race: the Montpellier 5K. He finished it, not without difficulty, but he got it done. He discovered the unique feeling of pinning on a race number and being cheered on by strangers. That first bib was the opening line of a story he continues to write every day. He has made a habit of running 10 km every day to stay fit and take care of the heart that needs to beat strong.

At 20, Gregory David discovers that he has a serious enlargement of the aorta. Ten years later, open-heart surgery changes his life.

At 32, Greg has already lived through some remarkable adventures. But his journey, and what he calls his rebirth, constantly remind him of the unique chance he has been given to live. He owes it to his own determination, but also to his family and the medical team around him: “I really want to say this: I had nurses and healthcare workers who did an incredible job and helped me get to where I am. But my driving force was my family, my loved ones and my partner. It wasn’t easy for them either, and they always encouraged me.”

Now that Greg can look to the future without fearing for his health, he wants to get his own back after the operation. That would mean lining up for a 100 km race in 2026. He wants to keep living life at full tilt, through sport and new challenges. But he is no dreamer and has no intention of rushing things: “I don’t have a specific date in mind for the 100K. I don’t want to skip steps. I want to do it when I’m ready and, above all, enjoy it. The next step would be a 30K, then a 40K, and so on. Doing it in 2026 would be great, but there’s no pressure.”

There are already some great projects in the works before 2026, as Greg is set to take on the legendary SaintéLyon. He will start the SaintExpress, the 45 km race. In another twist of fate, the race will take place on 29 November 2025, exactly two years and two days after his operation. Greg’s story is a powerful reminder that resilience is often built one small step at a time…

➜ Instagram: @greg_davidd

The editorial team