Go left, Live: Go Right, Die

No, the title of this blog post is not a political statement. It refers to a life transforming event. I can add one item to my list of achievements: I’m now a heart attack survivor. I can assure you this wasn’t something on my bucket list. It wasn’t even an event on my radar as a possibility.

Why? Because I supposedly did the right things. I never smoked, I exercised every day, I ate healthy food. But Thursday a week ago as I returned home after playing platform tennis, I noticed a tightness in my chest. At first I thought it was indigestion. Then as I got closer to home, it felt like someone had punched me in the chest.

I faced a quick decision. I could turn right into my residential area to head home to rest or turn left toward the emergency room of our nearest hospital. I made the correct decision and drove into the parking lot of the hospital. I stumbled inside, told the receptionist I had chest pains and in moments they had me in a room with tubes attached. This hospital didn’t have the cardiac unit, so within minutes I was transferred to a gurney, put in an ambulance and taken to the hospital across town. Later I was told I was in the operating room within seventeen minutes of entering the first hospital.

After three days in the intensive care unit and two more days on the cardiac floor, I returned home. I am now recuperating, getting a lot of rest and adjusting my life style to a new reality. I haven’t done any writing and probably won’t for another week, but I will get back to it. In the meantime, I’ve watched some old movies on television, taken lots of naps and relaxed. It’s great to be alive.