Full Circle....In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.

When I was 17 years old, I was helping my grandfather mow there lawn. We had stopped to take a break and I went in to get some lemonade for us from my grandmother as he had a seat on the porch swing. He looked at me and said, "It's tough getting old," and laughed. When I came back out with the lemonade, he was slumped over in the swing and unresponsive. I yelled at my grandmother to call 911 and pulled him to the ground to begin CPR, that I had learned as a Boy Scout, and continued until paramedics arrived. Our efforts were in vain, and I lost my grandfather that day. The paramedics told me afterwards, that I had done a good job, but for years, I blamed myself, I shouldn't have let him help mow, did I do the CPR wrong, what else could I have done?

My father and mother both suffered cardiac events as well, but survived; it was almost like a cardiac event was my destiny.

Then, on May 6, 2022, destiny came calling. I had what they call a "widow-maker heart attack" due to a 100% blockage in my Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery. I drove myself to the local fire station and asked them to check my blood pressure, but they could tell right away something wasn't right. They hooked me up to an EKG and checked my blood pressure and then told me we needed to get to the ER. A quadruple-bypass later, and I was ready to continue my life and take advantage of my second chance. I often joke with my wife that I enjoy annoying her so much, that I beat a "widow-maker" just to keep doing it.

It could have been much worse if I had not recognized the warning signs and symptoms, and without the fast actions of the local firemen. That is why I will be walking in this year's Dallas Heart Walk, because cardiac events have touched many in my life and the lives of others. To help bring more awareness and education to others on how to recognize when a cardiac event is happening and what they can do when it does.

Extraordinary starts with YOU. Help me reach my goal today!