While every organ in your body plays a vital role in working in tandem to keep the blood flowing, many consider the heart to be the epicenter of all human life — that notion is emphasized even greater for those who battle cardiovascular disease.

Bringing you a special conversation sponsored by the American Heart Association, Sybil Wilkes played host in a recent sit-down that paired a handful of heart experts with pro basketball athletes King McClure and Jared Butler to speak openly about Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, known to many simply as HCM.

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HCM hits home for both McClure and Butler, who both were diagnosed with the rare condition early in their respective athletic careers as college basketball stars at Baylor University. For McClure specifically, the disease actually thwarted his NBA dreams altogether which alternatively steered him into sports broadcasting. For Butler, who relies on an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in order to keep playing, the limitations that come with his condition are always on the back of his mind. However, neither one of these guys has allowed HCM to slow down their momentum for life or their drive to inspire others out there struggling with the same issues.

Watch this special Sybil Wilkes exclusive below with King McClure and Jared Butler, also joined by health experts that include Yale School Of Medicine Sports Cardiologist Dr. Rachel Lampert, Benedict College Assistant Athletic Director Loriane Dunbar and Atlantic Health Sports Cardiologist Dr. Matthew Martinez, for a real talk about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: