Dave Tint

Dave Tint's cardiac ordeal began without warning following a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training session. Dizziness and nausea drove him to seek medical attention, yet an initial hospital visit failed to identify the underlying problem and he was sent home without a diagnosis. When his condition worsened the following day, he returned to the hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a heart attack the day prior. Rather than stabilizing, his health continued to deteriorate in the weeks that followed.

To manage his declining cardiac function, Tint had a defibrillator implanted in his chest. The device discharged twice while he was training — an experience he described as feeling like being kicked in the stomach by a horse. As the severity of his condition progressed, his medical team evaluated him as a candidate for a heart transplant. After completing the approval process, Tint received the transplant.

The immediate postoperative period was marked by a week of severe pain and hallucinations, underscoring the profound physical toll of the procedure. Tint's path back to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was further complicated by conflicting medical guidance: Cleveland Clinic declined to clear him to resume training, while Stanford supported his goal of returning to the mats. Navigating that disagreement, Tint pressed forward with an unwavering determination to reclaim his identity as a practitioner.

Approximately two months after the transplant, Tint cautiously began moving again. An early milestone came when he practiced a Twister with friends in his room — a small but meaningful signal of his re-engagement with the art. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, Tint acknowledged as of October 10, 2025, that he had not yet returned to the level he once held, but expressed a resolute commitment to his comeback and a refusal to give up.