I walk because I know that with every step, I am saving lives and I also know everyone who walked before me saved my life.
On Tuesday June 14th 2022, 3:00am I awoke with “back pain”. That pain changed to pressure on my chest and I started to have a hard time breathing. The pain traveled to both my arms and I yelled for my wife, Judy. She called 911 as the pain went up my neck under my left jaw and that is when things get a little fuzzy. Later that morning, I woke up in the ICU where I spent the next three days trying to make sense of it all. They told me I was in the ICU by 5:00am that morning. Remember, I woke up at 3:00am with back pain, then in ICU recovery at 5:00am, just 2 hours; timing is everything. Let me explain. Later that day, the Cardiologist who performed the surgery stopped by to check on my progress. He said I had, what is called, a widow maker heart attack. It occurs when the left anterior descending artery, which supplies blood to the larger, front part of the heart, is blocked at its origin. He said when he reached the blockage in surgery, it was 90% blocked. He also looked around and did not find any other blockages. He cleared the blockage and inserted a stent. (Stent research was funded by the AHA) I spent the better part of the next few months trying to get my head around life and my limitations, dealing with doctors, therapy, meds, and physical limitations.
It sucked. It really sucked!
Last year my wife, Judy, and I we were just happy to still have each other, this year, on June 27th, we celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary.
Now, I get up every day full of energy with a positive look on life. What’s going to happen today?!!
I see things that I have never seen before, taste things better and experience things like never before.
Life is good and I want to share that.
According to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association, survival rates following a heart attack have improved in recent years; overall, nearly 90% of people who have a heart attack survive, but timing is everything. From the time my wife calling 911, the Dispatcher and the Paramedics who treated and transported me, to the ER staff and then the cardiologist who performed the surgery, it was all within 2 hours. They are all heroes in my eyes. Because of the education, funding and research provided by the American Heart Association, my heroes knew exactly what to do.
We're all tied to heart disease and stroke in some way. We have to change that. Will you help me?
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Have a heart and help me reach my goal today.