Tag Archives: health

Fighting the Good Fight

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There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

* * *

Si Dios quiere (God willing). Con el favor de Dios (With God’s support). I think those were my mom’s two favorite phrases. She used them all the time. 

Me: “Mom, I don’t know how to say this. I was academically disqualified from San Jose State. I flunked out.”

Mom: “Don’t worry, mijo. You’ll figure things out con el favor de Dios. I know that you’ll get back in school and graduate, Si Dios quiere.” 

That’s not exactly how that conversation went, but you get the picture. Yeah, Mom was fluent in Spanglish. Regardless of what language she spoke, God was always in the conversation. She truly believed that everything happened for a reason. And, of course, God was making it all happen. The funny thing is that’s how it played out. I’m grateful that she was still alive to see me get married, start a family, graduate from college, and start a career.

Her worldview was, “Why worry about something you can’t control?” She was an easygoing woman of faith. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that quality from her. I always struggled when life’s storms shook things up. The darkest time in my life was immediately after the heart transplant in 2020. I know. It doesn’t make sense. I just got another shot at life. But, I’m not alone. According to Stanford University, “up to 63% of heart recipients develop anxiety and/or depression during the first post-transplant year.” 

My mind convinced me that I was useless and worthless. I could no longer provide for my family like I used to. My attempts to return to the community work I loved so much fell on deaf ears. It seemed like there wasn’t a place for me anymore. While Sandra and the girls steadfastly cheered me on and showered me with love and support, my distorted reasoning continued to remind me that I had nothing to offer them either.

My growing faith helped me understand that everything was in God’s hands and therapy restored my confidence that I still had value to my family and community. I had come to accept that a lucrative career was no longer viable and opportunities to share my community leadership skills were limited. While giving up isn’t in my DNA, I slowly began to realize that chasing windmills was fruitless and potentially harmful, as my health crisis so clearly demonstrated.

By mid-June 2023, things were looking up. I was working with the Latino Leadership Alliance (LLA) Academy training emerging civic leaders and working with high school students at The Foundation for Hispanic Education (TFHE) again. One day that summer, I was walking out of the dentist’s office when the caller ID on my cell phone displayed a number from a strange area code. It’s not my practice to answer calls from unknown sources. For some reason, I answered it.

“Hi Eddie, my name is Scott Leezer from the Honor the Gift Coalition.” Scott went on to describe his organization and explain how Medicare decided to no longer cover a critical blood test for transplant recipients. He heard that I benefited from the innovative test and asked if I was interested in going to Washington, D.C. to share my story with lawmakers. I was skeptical and asked a bunch of questions. A week later, I was on Capitol Hill. 

For three years, I worried about what would become of my post-transplant life. Sandra, who has the same strong faith as Mom, encouraged me to just go with it. God will reveal His plan for me in his time, she assured me. Within the span of a few months, LLA, TFHE, and a stranger named Scott Leezer came calling. God knew I was ready physically and mentally to re-engage with the world. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

I consciously approached these activities not with the same vigor, ambition, and urgency that I conducted my life before a massive heart attack changed everything. I proceeded with patience, gratitude, compassion, and humility. The day on Capitol Hill was special (see Honoring My Gift on ESEReport.com) and led to a second trip to Washington, D.C. in August 2023 with a larger group of fellow transplant warriors. We were fighting the good fight for a good cause.

The Honor the Gift Coalition is an alliance of 17 transplant support organizations. The campaign to restore Medicare coverage for the post-transplant blood test  caught the attention of influential leaders. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) led a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking Medicare to justify its decision. Civil rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA), and legendary soul singer Al B. Sure! and his Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition joined the fight!

With the support of CURA Strategies, a Washinngton, D.C.-based public relations firm, the coalition led a group of over 140 transplant patients and caregivers on a march and rally in front of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building (home to the Human and Health Services Department) demanding that Medicare reverse its decision. I had the honor of representing transplant patients at a press conference held in the Canon House Building later that day.

In December 2023, Scott Leezer called again with another intriguing request. “Eddie, I bet I’m going to ask you a question that you probably never thought anyone would ever ask,” he started. Former Speaker Gingrich was looking for a patient voice to be a guest on his Newt’s World podcast. Would I be interested in sharing my story? Gingrich’s brand of right-wing Republican politics represents everything I believe is wrong with our country. After a long pause, I responded, “of course, for the cause.” Gingrich was gracious and a champion on the issue.

I went into the holidays feeling grateful for Sandra and the girls, friends and family, and for having the opportunity to do something meaningful in my life. The holidays were nice and uneventful. I didn’t give much thought to the whirlwind year of community service. I was invited back to work with LLA and TFHE in spring 2024. It seemed like my volunteer work in Washington, D.C. was done. Change in Washington is so slow. The professionals would carry the torch going forward.

Nine months later, I was back in Washington. This time it was to celebrate the Honor the Gift Coalition and the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition’s successful campaign to overturn Medicare’s decision to stop covering the blood test. In an almost unprecedented move, Medicare changed its position on coverage. I stood alongside Rev. Al Sharpton, Al B. Sure!, and others to share my story yet once again.

The next morning, I took a walk around the White House before heading to the airport to catch a flight home. I reflected on so much. First and foremost, I made a commitment to follow Sandra and Mom’s advice to trust God’s plan and just go with it. Playing a small part in the Honor the Gift campaign was an experience of a lifetime. I met people from all over the country and opened my heart to make new friends. 

Walking by statues and  marveling at the majesty of the White House reminded me that we still live in a thriving democracy despite the political circus that threatens our existence. People do matter. We started this campaign with four people walking the marble halls of the Capitol trying to raise awareness about a wrong. The media and influential people joined the movement. The support grew exponentially until Medicare had no choice but to take notice. 

Even though a wrong was righted this time, these kinds of things are never truly over, especially during these politically uncertain times. The Washington, D.C. professionals will keep an eye on it. Thousands of new transplant recipients will benefit from the work. If ever called upon again to help, I’ll trust that God initiated the call. If my work on this issue is done, I’ll continue to live with faith, hope, and love, and stay in touch with friends new and old. 

Purpose & Passion

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This is the fourth installment of ESEReport.com’s Second Chances blog series.

***

For the most part, I minded not how the hours went. It was morning, and lo, now it is evening, and nothing memorable is accomplished. ~ Henry David Thoreau, 19th Century American Transcendental Philosopher

The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather he is being patient with you. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

***

February 28, 2024 (San Jose, CA) ~ I started the morning like I always do. Sporting blue pajamas with white pinstripes and my trusty brown slippers, I made my way to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. After preparing a couple of cups, I spent the rest of the early morning watching MSNBC, sipping the cup of joe, and talking with Sandra as she got ready for work. 

The morning continued as usual. I read the daily mass, said morning prayers, did 10 minutes of mindfulness practice, and went to the kitchen for breakfast. That too was like any other day. I took morning meds with a 16 ounce glass of water, ate oatmeal with berries and walnuts, and finished off the meal with a hard-boiled egg and another glass of water.

After breakfast, I got ready for a morning walk. The day was unusually springlike. Instead of wearing the usual black Adidas track pants and black NorthFace windbreaker, I put on a pair of khaki shorts and a blue long sleeve dry-fit shirt. After slathering my face with sun block, putting on a wide-brimmed hiking hat, lacing up my black Adidas crossfit shoes, and filling up a Hydro Flask water bottle, I headed out the door.

Since I had been nursing a little cold for a few days, I decided to go on a leisurely mile and a half stroll, rather than the usual fast-paced four mile walk. My podcast selection for the day was The Armchair Expert with Dax Sheppard. It’s a cool podcast with interesting guests. This time the guest was Bradley Cooper. I ended up getting bored pretty fast. For some reason, listening to the exploits of two handsome actors wasn’t moving me. I spent the rest of the walk with the Doobie Brothers.

My daily routine usually comes to an end once I’m out of the shower, dressed for the day, and finished eating lunch. This is the time of day when I work on a few little projects. I teach a high school student leadership class, facilitate the Latino Leadership Alliance (LLA) Academy, and volunteer on the San Jose State University Latino Alumni Network board. I also do occasional speaking engagements for my book and volunteer with a national transplant advocacy organization. When I feel creative, I write for this blog.

I use the word “dressed” loosely because my daily uniform is a pair of sweats, sweatshirt, and the trusty brown slippers. Most of the busy work I do is on my laptop. After the morning routine on February 28th, I settled in to read for a couple of hours. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, by Walter Isaacson currently occupies my reading time. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Erica’s puppy Uchis, watching the news, and scrolling through social media. “My name is Eddie and I am a social media junky.” Step 1 is admitting the problem.

I emerged from my Tik Tok stupor just in time to make dinner, a cool little dish that Sandra taught me to prepare. I began by cutting potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, and a couple of chicken breasts. After placing everything into a glass baking dish, I spread Campbell’s cream of chicken soup over the top, sprinkled sweet peas into the pan, and stuck it all into the oven. An hour and a half later, “voila!”. Sandra, Erica, and I shared stories about our day over a nice meal. We rounded out the evening binge watching Griselda on Netflix.

That sounds like a pretty good day for a retired heart transplant recipient. Some might say that I deserve a day like February 28, 2024, and many more.

I started working part time after school when I was 15 years old. There were untold hours burning the midnight oil to make up for my initial college failure. What followed was a relentless climb up the corporate and political ladders. Then there was the horrific daily, sometimes hourly, fight for life during the summer of 2010. The hardest climb was my ten-year battle with heart failure that led to transplant while doing consulting work. 

Despite the thinking that I may have earned a relaxing retirement, I felt uneasy throughout the day. There was a slight churn in my stomach. It was like something was missing or just not right. I ignored the sensation and went on with the day, but the feeling never quite faded away. Even though I still felt a little anxious, I went to bed with an overall feeling that February 28th was a pretty good day and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, my routine started all over again. The worried sensation had disappeared. After the morning ritual and lunch, I opened up the laptop to put finishing touches on the day’s lesson plan for high school students. I meet with them once a week. On the drive to the school, I thought about how to present the concepts in an upbeat and interactive way. The students and I engaged in a great discussion about the importance of emotional intelligence for leaders.

I feel alive, useful, and productive when I’m working with students and LLA leaders, sharing my story with Summer in the Waiting Room readers, advocating for equitable healthcare, writing, and speaking with groups large and small. We live in a society where work, productivity, and industriousness are valued almost above everything else. I grew up in a home where hard work was the answer to nearly any problem. 

That’s why I feel uneasy and anxious when I have a day like February 28th. My subconscious (the Boo Voice) starts asking why I’m not working and making a substantial contribution to the household income. I have a new heart for crying out loud. Why am I wasting time playing fetch with Uchis, sitting back on the couch reading about some old guy who lived 200+ years ago, and scrolling through LinkedIn while everyone else is achieving?

Upon reflecting on that day, I remember that God has given me a great gift – a second chance at this thing we call life. I’m pretty sure He didn’t give me a second chance to toil my life away for material things, recognition, and self-aggrandizement. I say “pretty sure” because the Boo Voice and society are tugging at my ears telling me otherwise. We all struggle with that balance of working our passion for good and seeking worldly success.

It’s wonderful to see a student’s eyes light up when they get a concept or when a LLA cohort shares stories of true servant leadership. Listening to people share stories of their own families’ overcoming heart disease fills my soul with faith, hope, and love. Deep down inside, I know that the things I love to do make a positive impact on people. I need to stay focused on doing them for that reason.

I try to make the best of this second chance by trying to focus on what really matters. I’m starting to accept and understand the value of mindfulness and the Transcendentalist principle of being aware and awake for every moment. Sometimes it works like a charm. On the few days when “nothing memorable is accomplished” and feelings of something is missing haven’t crashed the party, my purpose and passion are crystal clear.

The Boo Voice and societal expectations to be “successful” make that hard to sustain. But, I’ll stay with it. St. Peter reminds me that ‘the Lord is being patient.” Good thing for me. I’ll get there . . . someday. As Mom would say, si Dios quiere (God willing).

Life’s Essential 8™

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The Boys of ’81 – James Lick High School

This post is dedicated to

Rudy Lopez

October 14, 1962 ~ January 20, 2024

James Lick High School, Class of 1981

***

I was at a memorial service on Sunday. Another friend had passed away. Heart attack. He was 61 years old. Moose Lodge #401 in San Jose was packed with family and friends. The Moose is an old building with hardwood floors, no frills, no decorations on the walls, and a bingo board hanging from the rafters. It’s an institution on the east side. I’ve been there for wedding receptions, family gatherings, birthday parties, community meetings, and after school events. It’s a great place to get together and laugh, dance, and have a few beers and well drinks.

I’ve been to the Moose for other funeral receptions too. My Nino (godfather) for confirmation and another friend who succumbed to heart disease a few years back were the last two I attended there. The hall was set up as it always is. Rectangular folding tables were lined up in rows from front to back. A screen to show a video and easels with old pictures lined the foot of the stage. A small group of James Lick High School friends stood in the back of the room to pay respects.

As we waited for the program to start, we shared hugs and old stories that never seem to get old. In high school, our late friend seemed quiet and unassuming to those who didn’t know him. On the football field he was a force of nature. He was built low to the ground like a bulldog keeping tacklers away from the ball. When he played defense, not a soul dared run up the middle without fear of running into a brick wall.

Off the field, he was a straight-talking, honest, and no nonsense kid. As a friend, you knew he always had your back. He wasn’t a bad guy to have around when trouble was brewing. From the testimonials at his memorial, it was clear little had changed. He went to work everyday despite health challenges and did everything with pride. We heard stories about his love of classic cars, football, and his commitment to the Raider Nation. He was a man of integrity to the end. 

It was a nice service. 

The most inspirational part of the day was when his nephew referred to the high school football star as his real dad after the young man’s biological father had left the family. What struck me most about the afternoon was the emphasis on family. While the families in attendance ate a traditional Mexican lunch at the rows of tables, the old James Lick guys in the back of the room shared stories with each other about kids and grandkids. 

This is what is so sad about chronic heart failure. Friends and families are left in the wake of this nasty disease. It’s the #1 killer in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “one person dies every 33 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.”  In 2021 alone, about 695,000 Americans passed away from a heart related illness. I learned on Sunday that yet another classmate lost his life to cardiovascular disease that very year.

I’m one of the lucky ones. With God’s grace, an amazing family, and an outstanding Kaiser Santa Clara Medical Center healthcare team, I’ve survived a heart attack, a decade of heart failure, and a heart transplant. That’s why I’m so passionate about doing my little part in sharing with others that slowing down the rate of heart disease is possible. There is hope.

As a volunteer for the American Heart Association, I learned about Life’s Essential 8™. Following these eight guidelines helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems:

  1. Eat Better
  2. Be More Active
  3. Quit Tobacco
  4. Get Healthy Sleep
  5. Manage Weight
  6. Control Cholesterol
  7. Manage Blood Sugar
  8. Manage Blood Pressure

To borrow a phrase from my dad (he died of a cardiovascular disease), doing these things consistently is easier said than done. Before my 2010 heart attack, I only did #2 and #3 on a steady basis. I was active, including somewhat regular exercise, and never smoked. Doctors told me that doing these two things probably saved my life, although it certainly didn’t prevent a heart attack in the first place.

As American Heart Month comes to a close, I encourage . . . I urge . . . everyone to go to the American Heart Association website and follow Life’s Essential 8™. It could save your life and, just as important, it can give your family more time with you.

RIP Rudy.

Be More Active

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If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving. ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

***

After returning home from the hospital in 2010, I went to a class to learn how to live a full life with a compromised heart. The topics included information about how the heart works, suggestions for healthy living, exercises that strengthen the heart muscle without adding stress to it, and facts about the different medications necessary to keep the heart functioning.

The material for the six-week program was delivered by nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and other content experts in a classroom setting. At 46, I was clearly the youngest of the 30 or so participants in a class of mostly ornery and impatient 70 and 80 year-olds set in their ways and grumbling about aches and pains.

A 75 year old woman named Ruth had been my seat neighbor for the entire program. She was a nice grandmotherly type who loved cooking, hated exercise, and planned little changes to her life. She half-jokingly told me that she never exercised a day in her life and saw no reason to start. Then she said, “Look at you. You were a healthy young man and still had a heart attack like the rest of us.” She had a point . . . kinda.

When I was a kid, I loved to jump fences, climb trees, and ride bikes with neighborhood kids. We played basketball on my driveway, two-hand touch football in the street, and sandlot baseball at the elementary school at the end of the block. Of course, there was Little League baseball until I was 12 years old, and middle school flag football and basketball. In high school, I earned four varsity letters in basketball and baseball.

Yeah, I was that kid.

After high school, I played recreation league basketball and softball. Obligatory beer busts after each game were standard. That didn’t help much, but I stayed active. Marriage, career, and kids left little time for these activities. I played the last rec league basketball game in my late 30s. I came home dejected because the younger men were just too fast and strong for me. 

My nine year old daughter laughed when I “announced” my rec league “retirement” to Sandra and the girls. “It’s not like you’re Michael Jordan retiring from the Bulls daddy,” Marisa quipped. Over the next several years, I occasionally found time to exercise by walking, working out in the gym, and playing golf. I was in the gym on June 7, 2010, when the opening salvo of heart attack symptoms began.

Despite Ruth’s confidence that exercise didn’t prevent my heart attack, staying active certainly saved my life. My cardiologist assured me that I wouldn’t have survived the June 7th heart attack and surgery if I wasn’t in shape. Later that summer, after a medically induced coma caused my muscles to waste away, I completed an 8-week physical rehabilitation program in three weeks. The physical rehab doctor mentioned that my athletic experience helped me learn and execute the exercises faster than usual.

So what’s the point of all this?

According to the American Heart Association, the second of Life’s Essential 8 for lifelong good heart health is Be More Active. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a formally trained athlete or a gym rat to stay healthy. Life’s Essential 8 recommends that adults should get 2 ½ hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. 

Walking for 30 minutes a day, five days per week qualifies as moderate activity. The vigorous exercise recommendation can be done by running 15 minutes a day, five days per week. If you don’t like to or can’t walk or run, the American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 website has lots of ideas on how to be more active throughout the day.

As I mentioned in my  last post, exercise alone isn’t the formula for a healthy lifestyle. As my old friend Ruth so sarcastically reminded me, it sure didn’t prevent me from having a massive heart attack. In conjunction with eating better and the other six of Life’s Essential 8 (I plan to share them on this blog in coming weeks), being more active will lead to a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Be creative and set goals. Get out there and do your thing, even when you don’t feel like it. I know the kids, job, extended family obligations, and a million other things make it hard to keep going, but you just have to do it. As MLK said, “whatever you do you have to keep moving.” Walk 30 minutes a day. Put it in your calendar. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and escalator. Go whack some weeds. Dance with your partner everyday. You never know if a little smooching might happen next!

Since my heart transplant, I walk four or five days per week, four miles per day. I use light weights two or three days per week. And, I mean light weights. Ten pound dumbbells, body resistance exercises like modified push ups, jumping jacks, squats, and crunches do the trick to get the heart rate up. The days of trying to get chiseled chest, arms, and legs are laughable and long gone. 

My goals now are to walk around the mall with Sandra and the girls, run around with our new puppy, play a round of golf from time to time with old friends, and dance to a few of our favorite songs with Sandra. Oh yeah, and stay alive!

I still often think about Ruth and my geriatric classmates from 2010. I sometimes wonder if any of them ate hot dogs. My guess is that many have passed away during the past decade and a half. It would be a blessing if God allows me to live that long. But that’s His call.

In the meantime, I’m going to be more active and keep moving until I can’t. If you have a little time, come join me.

Eat Better!

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April 16, 2023 – Celebrating the 3rd anniversary of my transplant

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. ~ Maya Angelou

***

There was a time when my concuños and I played food games. First of all, concuño is a loose Spanish translation to describe my sister-in-laws’ husbands. Since Sandra has three sisters, we are four concuños. In our 20s and well into our 30s, we had friendly eating competitions. Two such contests stand out in my mind: eating donuts and consuming outsized hamburgers.

On any given Sunday, we would be hanging out at our in-laws’ house doing nothing but hanging out. Someone would say, “let’s get donuts,” and the race was on. Knocking out three or four of the tasty mouthfuls of deep fried flour and sugar wouldn’t be unusual for me. Guzzling a tall glass of whole milk was the finishing touch. I forgot to mention that it was usually after an afternoon of eating barbecue pork ribs and drinking beer.

Then there was the time we challenged each other to eat a Monster Burger at Red Robin. This 1,220 calorie behemoth includes a ½ pound of ground beef and exceeds the daily recommendation of fat and sodium. Of course, we washed down the burger with a side of bottomless steak fries and a 24 oz. beer. My stomach was on the verge of bursting as I breathlessly waddled out of the restaurant. 

Yeah, it all sounds pretty gross to me now.

Both of my parents had heart attacks in their 50s and I had been dealing with high cholesterol  since my late 20s. In addition to bad genetics, my childhood diet was high in fat, fried foods, and salt. Fresh veggies were in short supply. So the obvious question about those silly eating contests is: “What the hell was I thinking?” Sadly, the short answer is arrogance and very little understanding of heart disease. 

I thought that exercising regularly would protect me from the fate that fell upon my parents. There were a couple of problems with that thinking. First of all, my exercise regimen wasn’t consistent. I would go through short periods of regular workouts and much longer periods of no exercise at all. More importantly, I completely dismissed the importance of diet. The irony of my 2010 heart attack symptoms starting at the gym is not lost on me. 

Since 2010, I set out to learn as much as possible about heart disease to take care of my damaged organ and encourage others to do the same. On the heels of my 2020 transplant, taking care of my new heart and inspiring people to learn about the disease have become a passion. As a volunteer for the American Heart Association (AHA) last year, I became acquainted with its Life’s Essential 8 checklist. 

According to the AHA, “Life’s Essential 8 are the key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health. Better cardiovascular health helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems.” As the old saying goes, “if I knew then what I know now . . .” I’m sure you know where I’m going with this. Unfortunately, I didn’t know then what I know now.

Life’s Essential 8 focuses on two major areas: health behaviors and health factors. Health behaviors are things you do that impact health. They include diet, substance use, sleep, and physical activity. Health factors include genetic conditions, education and income levels, and personal medical history. Improving health behaviors can minimize life-threatening health factors.

It turns out that my strategy to exercise my way out of an inevitable heart attack fell way short of what I needed to do to protect myself. In fact, number one on the Life’s Essential 8 checklist is to eat better. The formula is pretty simple. Fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, legumes and beans, and nuts are good. Alcohol, sugar, salt, trans-fat, processed food, and fried foods aren’t so good. Learning to read nutrition leaves can help manage this.

Sounds easy enough. Hmmmpf! Yeah right. As Dad used to say, “it’s easier said than done.” I’m sure most of us have heard doctors tell us what we need to do to stay healthy. Eat right, exercise, drink plenty of water, limit alcohol, blah, blah, blah. I’ve been there and done that. But, here’s the thing. YOU GOTTA DO THAT TO STAY HEALTHY. Period. End of story. 

Of course, there are rare exceptions like everything else. We all know that one thin person who eats bad food, drinks like a fish, smokes like a train, avoids exercise like the plague, and lives a long time. For some reason, the rest of us think we can do the same and stay away from the hospital and the morgue.

Well . . . think again. I ate bad food, drank a fair amount of alcohol, never smoked, and kinda exercised. The hospital knocked on my door when I was 46 years old and the morgue kept hanging around the entire summer just in case I didn’t make it.

On April 16, 2020, God gave me another shot to do the smart thing. Thanks to the American Heart Association and Life’s Essential 8, I now have a road map to protect the gift of life that came with my new heart. It hasn’t been easy. Watching what I eat and reading nutrition labels are second nature now. I try to think through the consequences of what I put into my mouth before every meal.

Do I do it perfectly every time? Nope. I still have a burger and a few ribs from time to time. I just don’t overdo it and get right back to staying the course. Family gatherings are still hardest for me. I tend to pick at chips and dip and other unhealthy snacks during those times. And I still have an almost insatiable sweet tooth. I can get like the Cookie Monster really fast if I don’t pay attention. I’ll write more about the evils of sugar in a later post.

I’ve learned that the trick to staying on track with a healthy diet is the same as any other effort needed for success and accomplishment. It requires passion, hard work, and discipline. In other words, you really have to want to be alive and healthy. For me, it’s simple. I want to be alive and healthy to spend an active retirement with Sandra once she hangs it up and to run around with grandkids if and when that happens.

Friends tell me that they’re not sure if they could give up so many things. I get it. I like to party. I like greasy Mexican food. I like jelly donuts from legendary Peter’s Bakery on the east side. As the Zach Brown Band tells it, “I like chicken fried and a cold beer on a Friday night.” But, I love Sandra and the girls more. 

It’s natural for parents to say that they would die for their kids. I’ve turned that saying on its head and decided to live for my kids. Following the diet recommendations in Life’s Essential 8 is a daily struggle for most of us. I don’t necessarily like it. As the great poet Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” I can’t change what happened to me almost 14 years ago, so I’ve changed my views about what I choose to eat.

I encourage everyone to think about giving Life’s Essential 8 diet recommendations a try.  You can do it. Start slowly, little by little. Take care of your heart and give it the best shot at taking care of you. You deserve a long and healthy life and your family deserves that too. I’m living proof that anyone can enjoy life and eat a healthy diet. Don’t wait. Start today!