Roasting Marshmallows When ...
On Sunday night, my friend “Jason” was with his family at his 16-year-old daughter’s friend’s house. They were gathered around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows, when Jason suddenly leaned forward in his chair as if to tie his shoes—and didn’t move again. The hostess, seated nearby, shook his shoulders, but he was unresponsive. A teenager who had just completed a CPR course immediately began chest compressions while someone called 911. When paramedics arrived, they could not find a pulse. They shocked his chest four times before finally restoring a heartbeat.
Jason is 57—fit, health-conscious, and with no known warning signs of heart disease. Just a week before the attack, his primary care physician had given him a clean bill of health. It is now Tuesday morning. After multiple tests, doctors are hopeful for his recovery. Jason remains fully sedated, but an MRI showed normal brain activity. Three stents have been inserted to restore blood flow, after a heart catheterization revealed a 100% blockage in his right coronary artery. Jason was a walking stealth heart attack.
Hindsight
Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking back, his wife realizes that Jason’s bouts of vertigo and severe shoulder cramping after swimming were not minor inconveniences, but silent warning signs. I am sharing this because I want every one of my friends—and anyone who reads this—to take heart health seriously. Do yourself, your spouse, your kids, and even your future grandkids a favor.
Will You Do Yourself a Favor?
If you haven’t already, will you please schedule a heart scan before the end of this year—especially if you’re a man over 50? Since my father died of a heart attack at age 64, I’ve been an advocate of the scan. It’s a simple, non-invasive procedure that can reveal coronary disease by detecting calcium buildup in the arteries. In the U.S., it’s usually not covered by insurance, but it costs less than $200. For that price, it may be the most valuable test you’ll ever take. It’s the best non-invasive way to catch a potential “widowmaker” heart attack before it happens.
Here is a description of a heart scan.
To find a screening location near you, search "calcium heart scan nearby."
Update on Jason
Jason knows he is a very fortunate man. He not only recovered from the heart attack, but has no permanent side effects. He is in a small percentage of those who are fortunate enough to recover from this kind of heart attack.
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