Jeremy Schwartz, 63, had a detailed dream he suddenly died of a heart attack while climbing a mountain in Nepal and immediately booked an appointment with a cardiologist
A man who dreamt he died from a heart attack discovered he had a life-threatening condition requiring urgent surgery. Jeremy Schwartz, 63, experienced a vivid dream in which he suddenly died of a heart attack while climbing Ama Dablam – a 6,812m peak he was planning to tackle in October 2025.
Waking at 3am from the disturbing dream, Jeremy immediately searched online for a consultant cardiologist and secured an appointment within two days. Following a heart scan, blood tests, an MRI, a CT scan and an echocardiogram – a non-invasive ultrasound procedure – Jeremy was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm on September 26, 2025 – a serious condition where the aorta weakens and bulges, potentially leading to rupture.
He was referred to Mr Cesare Quarto, a consultant cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic London, and successfully underwent the David procedure – open-heart surgery that replaces a diseased aortic root.
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 scale Ama Dablam in Nepal, Jeremy had a dream in which he died of a heart attack whilst climbing the mountain. He immediately got in touch with a consultant cardiologist, who arranged an appointment just 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 described his diagnosis as a “complete shock”. Earlier in 2025, he had cycled the 1,000-mile length of Italy and completed a solo, 120-mile 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, whilst preserving his own aortic valve. The six-hour procedure was carried out without complications, and the team at the Cleveland Clinic had Jeremy on his feet almost immediately after the operation.
Mr Cesare Quarto, MD, PhD, who carried out 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.”
Reflecting on events, Jeremy reckons several factors might have triggered the gut feeling he experienced before his planned climbing expedition. Roughly a year beforehand, while away on a work trip, he’d recorded a blood pressure reading that was higher than usual.
On top of that, a mate from his local cycling club had died suddenly from a heart attack while out riding. And afterwards, he discovered that on the exact day he was meant to climb Ama Dablam, another climber on the mountain had 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.”
Just eight days later, Jeremy was discharged and continued recovering at home, and has recently begun intensive cardiac rehabilitation. Jeremy is now drawing on his experience to encourage others to get checked, and has arranged a heart health screening day in partnership 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 rationalise, don’t tough it out. Get it checked out. It’s how you get to keep living the life you love.”
