In March 2014, at the age of 50, I had three stents put in the coronary artery in my heart. I had no idea my heart had potentially fatal issues. I was in the best physical shape I’d been in in over 25 years, and I had lost and kept off over 30 pounds for the last two years. I had made exercising frequently and eating smarter a priority. Luckily, a month earlier, in February, I was handed a flyer about a Heart Care Package. Despite my healthy lifestyle, I knew I had a family history of heart disease and my cholesterol was always on the high side, so I thought it was worth the $59 to get my heart checked out.
The heart scan indicated I had an unbelievably high calcium score of 1,100. To put this in perspective, a calcium score of 400 means plaque in the arteries is extensive and there would be more than a 90 percent chance plaque is blocking my coronary arteries, resulting in a high risk of heart attack. When I called my cardiologist and friend, Jun Chung, about my calcium score, he felt there was a strong probability of a blockage and suggested a catheterization be done immediately. During the catheterization, Dr. Chung saw that my artery was 80 percent blocked and needed three stents. After Dr. Chung put in the stents, I was back to my normal routine and was running just one week after the procedure. He told me that if I had not found out about the blockage, I could have had a heart attack within a year.
Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. However, heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Risk factors include a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, being overweight, high stress levels, inactivity, having diabetes, being over 35 years old and a history of smoking.
I am thankful that I now have a healthier heart and can enjoy being active with my 14-year-old daughter, wife and my friends. On November 14, 2015, I ran my second half-marathon since getting the stents. I have continued to share my story on Facebook and in conversations with friends in hopes it will encourage others with heart risk factors to get a heart scan and possibly avoid a heart attack.