Meet Ken
On March 19, 2013, Ken began his work day shoveling snow for about an hour. He experienced chest pain, but attributed it to stress. “I continued my day, carrying buckets of salt with no problems. But, as it got later in the day, the pain started to extend into the center of my back.”
Ken soldiered on with plans to relax after his shift ended. When he arrived home, the pain increasingly continued to worsen, until the point he was buckling over. He remembers, “I couldn't deny it anymore. This was more than stress. I told my wife I thought I was having a heart attack.”
After being rushed to the emergency room, doctors confirmed his fear of a heart attack. Ken’s condition required the placement of a stent.
“I found out that this was genetic and had nothing to do with what I ate, or how much I exercised, but it certainly helped being in good shape or it could have been fatal. My family has a history of high cholesterol and heart disease, including my father dying from a massive heart attack.”
Ken wants to share his experience to educate others on the importance of recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack. “I encourage any other man or woman not to ignore the signs. I run for my heart and my life!”
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