Fibs or Facts: Are You at Risk for AFib & Stroke?

Guest Bio: Howie Mandel

Howie Mandel, 59, caught his big acting break in the early 1980s, when he landed a role on the drama series, St. Elsewhere. He went on to create the hit children's cartoon series Bobby's World, and later became host of the popular show Deal or No Deal.

In 2009, Mandel shared his personal struggles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disease and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in his best-selling memoir, Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me. He landed a new primetime television gig as a judge on the popular variety competition America's Got Talent the following year, working alongside Sharon Osbourne and Howard Stern. Mandel will continue to serve as a judge for America’s Got Talent’s upcoming season.

Most recently, Mandel became the executive producer of Deal With It, a hidden-camera prank show with the ultimate twist. Unsuspecting members of the public secretly will be recruited to pull a prank on their unwitting companions with absolutely no time to prepare. To learn more about the show and watch clips, visit Deal With It on TBS.

Despite his television success, Mandel has never abandoned his first love—comedy. He manages to perform hundreds of gigs annually in the United States and Canada. Mandel lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Terry. The couple has two daughters, Jackie and Riley, and one son, Alex. The couple also has two adopted nephews, Austin and Zack.

Mandel is challenging people to learn the fibs and the facts about AFib not caused by a heart valve problem and its associated risk of stroke. Howie is living with this condition, which was estimated to affect approximately 6.4 million Americans in 2014. People who have AFib not caused by a heart valve problem are at a five times greater risk of having a stroke than people who do not have this condition.

Because AFib is close to his heart, Howie is participating in an educational campaign called “Fibs or Facts” to raise awareness about the connection between AFib not caused by a heart valve problem, blood clots and the associated increased risk of stroke. The campaign website, www.FibsOrFacts.com, features an educational quiz to test people’s knowledge of AFib and its associated increased risk for stroke. For each person who completes the quiz, the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance will donate $1 to National Stroke Association, up to $30,000. Since “Fibs or Facts” launched in 2013, it has raised a total of $35,000 for National Stroke Association.