A Health Wake-Up Call
How my father’s heart surgery changed my perspective on health
My Father’s Urgent Advice
“Jeremy, RUN!”
My dad had a four-way bypass today here in Portland. After being able to talk to him after the third time seeing him today, he had some advice he urgently wanted to share with me. This was the first thing he said to me.
What he was referring to was that I had started to train for a 5k a few months ago that I wasn’t able to participate in because I came down with the flu. Essentially he was saying, “Jeremy, do whatever you can to take care of yourself because you don’t want to be where I am someday.”
Trust me, I want no part of what I saw today.
How This Experience Changed Me
I played some basketball in school, but once I got into the corporate world, exercise—like a lot of things—took a back seat. Today I got scared straight, let me tell you.
Food Perspective
I haven’t been able to eat meat for 2 days now. I’m scared to death of meat in general after seeing what I saw. If one of your favorite foods is ice cream and hamburgers like mine was, go to a hospital cardiac unit and see how good that hamburger and ice cream sounds after sitting in the lobby.
Next Steps
I’m seriously contemplating going vegetarian, but want to talk to a dietitian as soon as I can to make sure I do things correctly. My dad had to go through so much over the last few days—I am so motivated to get healthy.
The Toll of Medical Crises
My dad is doing well, but he had one heck of a day today. The anxiety of the last 5 days has caused a big strain on all of us, but nothing like it has for my dad.
Physical Effects of Stress:
- Different breathing patterns
- Frequent headaches
- Tightness in back and shoulders
- Carrying the family’s collective stress
I saw my dad three times today and like most dads, mine is like Superman to me. I really haven’t ever seen my dad down for very long, ever. Today he was strong as always and determined as ever, but man did it shake me to my core about eating right and taking better care of myself.
If you aren’t taking care of yourself, spend 5 minutes with me, and I’ll try my best to convince you to change course.
JJ says:
Hey – glad to hear your dad is doing well. Just wanted to say hey since I was thinking about you.
Good luck working to increase your health, it’s a great goal. The absolute best thing you can do for your family is to stick around for a really long time.