His own experience with phobias began as an eighteen year old while on exchange in Honduras. He awoke to find that he was having trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and given ten minutes to live. Anthony was hurried into emergency surgery in an operating room with blood splattered on the operating lights from the previous patient. Due to the critical time constraints, the nurses pinned Anthony down while the doctor performed the operation without anaesthetic - a life changing experience.