It's hard to keep Alexander Chudnoff down, physically or mentally.
The JLL vice chairman jogged from his home, then on 72nd Street, to NYU Langone Hospital on 34th Street — listening to the soundtrack of "Rocky" on his Beats headphones — the morning he was getting his first major heart surgery, at 48. Just over a year ago, Chudnoff, now 54, underwent a second surgery that also involved one of his heart valves.
In the aftermath of both events, Chudnoff was quick to get out of his hospital bed and start walking and exercising to achieve the goals he had set for himself to accelerate his recovery. For instance, roughly six months after his first heart operation, Chudnoff hiked to the peak of Aspen Highlands, some 14,000 feet high, in Colorado. He said he carried "two bottles of tequila on my back with my skis ... and we all celebrated."
A tenant representative focused on the office sector, he has helped and inspired others who have undergone heart surgery. For his efforts, Chudnoff will be among those honored by the American Heart Association at its annual Heart of New York City Gala on Tuesday in Manhattan.
JLL has been actively involved in the AHA. Peter Riguardi, chairman and president of the brokerage's New York Region, is serving as chair of the 2024-2025 AHA New York City Heart Challenge, a campaign to engage local companies and their employees to join the fight against heart disease. Last month, Riguardi and Chudnoff were among the hundreds of JLL employees who participated in the AHA Wall Street Run & Heart Walk fundraiser in downtown Manhattan.
Chudnoff first learned of his medical issues at age 36, traveling in France, when he was diagnosed with severe atrial fibrillation, or an abnormal heartbeat. He flew back to New York and met with a cardiologist who told him he had a congenital heart defect called a bicuspid aortic valve.
It was a shock for Chudnoff, who said he had been an athlete all his life. The first surgery occurred several years after that and was a success, but Chudnoff developed a severe heart infection a few years later. He had surgery a second time in March 2024.
It's all come full circle now, with JLL's, Riguardi's and his own involvement with the AHA, according to Chudnoff.
Undergoing open-heart surgery is a scary experience, he said, and leaves some people feeling despondent.
Chudnoff recalled that when he was in the hospital, he "literally knocked on doors" to get fellow patients motivated and walking.
"I'm here to be, you know, a champion for people who need one, because recovery ... everybody struggles a little bit," Chudnoff said.