Garrett Yrigoyen says he was born with penny-sized hole in heart

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A post shared by Garrett Yrigoyen (@gy_yrigoyen) on Dec 19, 2018 at 5:53pm PST

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Bachelorette winner Garrett Yrigoyen says he was born with a penny-sized hole in his heart.

The 29-year-old television personality shared his past health issue in an Instagram post Tuesday while reflecting on what makes him "remarkable" as a person.

"Many people know me from being the last man standing and now engaged to Becca Kufrin," Yrigoyen wrote. "While it was amazing, and I'm genuinely very happy with everything today, I don't want that to be what defines me and makes me remarkable."

"I want to share with you, what I think does," he told fans. "I was born with a hole in my heart the size of a penny. Doctor's told my parents that I would never be an active child. Damn they were wrong!"

The Season 14 contestant said the hole has since "sealed up entirely," both literally and metaphorically.

"There have been many things in my life that have helped fill it up," the star said. "Love and support from family, friends, acquaintances, and my fiancé Becca. Determination to succeed and always find ways to become a better version of myself."

"On days when I'm at my lowest, my dad always says 'life is for the living, so live it up, and don't waste it,'" he added. "Just say 'Yes,' see what happens, don't forget to smile and say 'thank you.' That is me, GY, I think that makes me 'remarkable.'"

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Recently I was asked ‘what makes you remarkable?’... Many people know me from being the last man standing and now engaged to Becca Kufrin from ABC’s Season 14 of the Bachelorette. It is remarkable, to be 1 of just a few, of the Billions of people on the Earth, to have gone on a reality television show and found love. While it was amazing, and I’m genuinely very happy with everything today, I don’t want that to be what defines me and makes me remarkable. I want to share with you, what I think does. I was born with a hole in my heart the size of a penny. Doctor’s told my parents that I would never be an active child. Damn were they wrong! Since then, the hole has sealed up entirely. There have been many things in my life that have helped fill it up. These are the aspects of my life that I give credit to, that are special to me, remain continuous, that make me the ‘remarkable’ human that I am today. Love and support from family, friends, acquaintances, and my fiancé Becca. Determination to succeed and always find ways to become a better version of myself. Values and morals (credit to my parents), to always give 100 %, never quit, and always be respectful and courteous to others. Competitiveness and teamwork - I try my hardest to always outwork people, find ways to win, take accountability for my actions, and not make excuses win or lose (I give that credit to my coaches and teammates along the way). Passion and drive about life. On days when I’m at my lowest, my dad always says ‘life is for the living, so live it up, and don’t waste it.’ I take that to heart. Lastly, adrenaline and adventure is what feeds my soul. I seek it out daily. I love to feed my hunger for adrenaline and adventure, by always following my heart to experience and live life to the fullest, treat people kindly unless they don’t like dogs (kidding but seriously, suspect!), and never have a regret of wishing I had done something. Just say ‘Yes’, see what happens, don’t forget to smile and say ‘thank you.’ That is me, GY, I think that makes me ‘remarkable’. If you would like to know more about me...ask someone who knows me, they will tell you. :) Thank You!

A post shared by Garrett Yrigoyen (@gy_yrigoyen) on Jan 22, 2019 at 12:46pm PST

Yrigoyen and Kufrin met and got engaged during The Bachelorette Season 14. The couple moved in together in California this month but told Us Weekly in December they have no wedding plans.

"No dates, no months, no venue," Kufrin said.

"I would say the fall of whatever year we choose because she loves the fall," Yrigoyen added.