Now that I'm 55+

It was over 9 years ago and I had suicide wings and french fries for lunch, no problem as I was in good health. I had helped my son move a week before, up and down stairs carrying furniture and boxes. Early afternoon the indigestion started and didn’t go away, for indigestion it was pretty strong. It was later in the afternoon and I wanted to drive home and lie down but my son was working in my office that day so I decided to stay until his workday was finished. Concern overpowered denial and I went into HR and asked them to call an ambulance, Response was quick and I found myself on a stretcher with two amazing professionals taking very good care of me. I was handed two low dosage aspirin and told to chew and swallow them, they probably saved my life. I was told that I was having a heart attack and that I should remain calm. l can think of many other ways to tell someone they are in good hands and to remain calm but try as I might, telling someone they are having a heart attack and then to remain calm isn’t one of them. That aside I was rushed to the hospital, into the cath lab in the basement (Bypassing the emergency department) and had an immediate angiogram and angioplasty to open the completely blocked anterior artery. The heart attack I had is called the Widow Maker, apparently it kills 9 out of 10 people that have one. Very happy I was in the minority of that stat, everything went perfectly and the damage to my heart was minimal and even that damage would improve. One block from leaving my office the ambulance stopped at the side of the road and the driver told the paramedic working on me that we were being rerouted to another hospital. My “guy” told the driver that was unacceptable and that I needed to be taken to Sunnybrook Hospital and no other, they argued and then we went to Sunnybrook. In the ambulance I was asked if I wanted morphine to help with the pain and while I was accepting I was told that they didn’t like patients to take it (no reason was given but I didn’t need one), I just said I didn’t need the morphine. The procedure itself in the hospital was pretty cool (for something dealing with a serious heart attack) with screens and feelings and a lot of people taking extremely good care of me. A series of good decisions, amazing professionals and luck brought me through this experience so that I could make some changes and become a very active senior. I was never a smoker, was not overweight and only a light social drinker, I can say my eating choices were not ideal. I had been diabetic at that point for 11 years. Now, I work out almost everyday, my diet is much better, all my blood tests are excellent and my blood pressure at my last appointment was 117/70. I play tennis, pickleball, hike and love to ride my bike for over an hour at a time. I feel great and being active is a huge part of my life, I am definitely OLDER but I am NOT OLD. Please take care of yourself, listen to your doctor and stay active, whatever that means to you personally. Let the world know you aren’t old and wear something that shows them how you feel. Shout out to Toronto EMS and Sunnybrook Hospital.