Exclusive | CrossFit-loving dad, 42, gets transplant after flu-like symptoms turn out to be end-stage heart failure

A New York City dad who suffered sudden heart failure and nearly lost his life is sharing his story of survival after a successful heart transplant, encouraging all men to “go to the doctor right away if you feel like something’s off — life is too precious to sit idly by.”Andre Rodrigues was a 40-year-old CrossFit-loving fitness buff and school principal enjoying summer vacation when something suddenly went terribly wrong.The father of two was with his kids in his native Portugal in August 2023 when he experienced alarming flu-like symptoms he had never felt before.“I just felt very sick — I never coughed as violently — it hurt,” Rodrigues, now 42, told The Post.At five-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Rodrigues should have been the portrait of health in the prime of his life — a clean eater who took pride in exercising with an at-home rower.

But he became a shell of himself as months went by without one good day.“It was shocking — there was no warning,” he said.“It came on fast and furious.”He sought answers from six different doctors “to try to get to the bottom of what was happening.”But the array of antibiotics and nasal sprays for a diagnosis of pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection didn’t cut down the symptoms.The physical change was dramatic as he hit 190 pounds due to the fluid retention.“What I noticed was completely abnormal,” said Rodrigues, adding that discovering the appearance of abnormally swollen ankles made him fear it was a heart issue.After two months of mysterious symptoms — including constant shortness of breath and exhaustion — Rodriguez darted for the Mount Sinai ER, where he stayed for 12 days.Instead of a cold or respiratory virus, he learned that it was severe heart failure.“There were a lot of really scary nights in the hospital,” he said, adding that “not seeing my kids grow up was my worst thought.

It’s still my worst thought and fear.”He said it was myocarditis, a condition increasingl...