Diagnosed with congenital heart disease at 19, this is how Josh Pegg is determined to live life to the fullest

Josh Pegg only survived thanks to his own instincts to follow up his blood pressure readings. This is the inspired way he transformed his life through determination.

Aged 19, fresh out of school and with the world at your feet. Then suddenly, everything changes when you discover a heart disease.

That was a brutal reality for now 21-year-old Josh Pegg whose life has changed dramatically since a miracle happened last year when he took it upon himself to go to the doctors and check his blood pressure.

What Josh and his parents Murray and Julie didn’t know was that Josh had lived his whole life with a congenital heart disease. It wasn’t until a headache made Josh take a trip to the GP.

“You don’t realise how valuable your health and youth is until it’s stripped from you,” he said.

“I took it for granted and got off lucky. There’s people who don't get off lucky.”

When Josh’s doctor said his concerning blood pressure of 160/50, which indicates a pattern of isolated systolic hypertension, was likely due to university stress, a bad diet and drinking too much, Josh made the best decision he ever has.

He followed up with a scan and when that showed he had been living with a disease, his life changed forever — and by his own account for the best.

This Sunday, 427 days after Josh woke up from 10-hour open heart surgery that saved him, he will run the Noosa Triathlon in a sign to himself and others like him that “you’re not limited to your diagnosis”.

“I thought I was invincible and to have everything taken away from for a bit was a massive wakeup call,” he said.

Josh Pegg in the hospital during the operation.

Josh was a bloke with a boisterous personality. Someone who loved his sport. That was what made this so hard.

“When you graduate school it’s like ‘life’s good, good mates, good career set up’. Then literally the last thing you’d ever expect to happen, happens,” he said.

“It’s the best and worst thing that could’ve happened to me.”

That is, finding out about and treating a heart defect, present at birth and caused by abnormal development of the heart’s valves or the blood vessels near it.

“I had no symptoms. It was a complete coincidence and stroke of luck that I went to the doctor,” he said.

‘A bad reading’ of his high blood pressure was what he was first told. He persisted using mother Julie’s machine at home for about two months.

He started to panic and for peace of mind he was sent for a scan.

“They didn’t send me back home, they pulled me out of the waiting room and were like ‘mate you need to go to hospital,” Josh recalled. “You’ve got a heart disease you haven’t known about for 20 years.”

No part of the process was easy. He was rendered inactive for six months. He had to go under the knife for 10 hours. He had to come to terms with never playing contact sports again.

Josh said being so young, while people his age were partying, playing footy and travelling overseas, made it so hard. “To have that all taken away was a lot to swallow.”

Josh Pegg (middle) enjoying some quality time with his mates.

The surgery, where he received a donor valve, was last September and it took Josh at least six weeks to start feeling himself again.

In uncanny fashion, a surprise remained up Josh’s sleeve.

In November 2024 he startled his family with the revelation that he had booked in to compete the Noosa Triathlon.

“If you had asked me 12 months ago, before I booked this Triathlon, if I’d ever see myself in lyrcra, I would’ve laughed at you,” Josh smiled.

“This experience has given me a lot of empathy and the ability to understand people in similar situations.”

Josh Pegg in the hospital during the operation.

He said the most unfortunate thing, which is why he wants to spread his story, was that there were “undoubtedly others out there who have what I have and don’t know it yet”.

“They are ticking time bombs.

“You hear of those sudden cardiac deaths where people pass in their sleep and discover later they have a heart condition. That was the route I was going down and the fact I can sit here and say I avoided that is crazy because if I didn’t go to the doctors that day, who knows what would’ve happened.”

What could have killed Josh before reaching his mid twenties has become the “biggest blessing” now that he is on the other side of it.

He has thrown himself into things he wouldn’t have before: His career (bachelor of finance at UQ, casual work at KPMG), Triathlon, a health focus and helping other who are going through similar things.

“Crossing the line this Sunday will be a big moment for myself,” he said, eyeing off a 1.5km ocean swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run.

“14 months ago I was bed ridden in the ICU and now I am doing something I wouldn’t have done before that.

“It’s showing everyone with conditions, diseases and impeding factors in their life that you can do it.”

Josh said that the entire experience has made him take a lot more appreciation of every day, and in particular his health.

It has also brought the entire Pegg clan closer, including Josh’s two younger brothers, basketballer Joe and rugby second rower Matt.

Originally published as Diagnosed with congenital heart disease at 19, this is how Josh Pegg is determined to live life to the fullest