When scanning the New York Times website this morning, I found this great article by Michael Bicks who recently survived a severe heart attack. Luckily, he was able to recognize his symptoms thanks to recent media coverage of Tim Russert’s death.
We should all remember the symptoms of a heart attack, which you can find here at the American Heart Association’s website: chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort, and other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
But Mr. Bicks’ description of the life implications of his heart disease struck me most:
This is one of those times that defines your life, like the death of a parent or the birth of a child. In a split-second, you cross the invisible “before and after” line and realize that nothing is ever going to be the same. For that moment my life had been removed from my hands…
It made me think about a story Sophie wrote about Pax’s recovery. Pax brought one of his surgeons with him to work out. The intensity of Pax’s workout shocked him. The surgeon told Pax that by working out with that intensity, he risked exiting the gym in a body bag.
Sophie describes Pax’s reaction like this:
Initially this concerned Pax. In fact, his spirits were dampened and he didn’t work out for a few days after that evening. Then one morning he woke up and said, “If I can’t do the things I enjoy, what is the meaning of my life?” He went straight to the gym with renewed vigor, recognizing that the quality of life meant more to him than quantity.
That was ten years ago. Today, Pax is the most fit 78 year-old you might meet. He still hits the weights every day. Certainly, Pax adjusted his workout to benefit his heart. But he never allowed his heart disease to “redefine” his life.
Lesson: a cardiac event isn’t an excuse to redefine your life. It’s a call to wake up. To wake up to the joys of life, and to what makes you, you. And it’s a call to action. To get fit, and to pursue a healthy lifestyle with renewed vigor.
