Im kind of in shock at the moment. My dad just called and told me that his younger brother (who had just turned 69 last week) died of a heart attack today while hiking. He had hiked part of the Pacific Crest Trail when he retired a couple of years ago, but quit because he couldnt take in enough calories for some reason and was losing WAY too much weight on the trip. He had hoped to do the rest of it this coming year. My dads youngest brother had a MAJOR heart attack when he was about 40, and then dropped dead one night at the age of 59 when he got up to go to the bathroom. He had been pretty active, hiking and backpacking a lot until he started having back issues about ten years before he died. A couple of years after that, my grandmother dropped dead of a sudden heart attack (granted, she was 84, but it was a surprise to everyone). My dad is 71 and has always had weight issues, but used to bicycle quite long distances until he had both knees replaced. Hes got some form of diabetes from being overweight, but hasnt ever shown any signs of heart issues. Im 49, and took up running 3 1/2 years ago largely BECAUSE of the family heart history (I believe my grandmothers brothers also had heart issues, but not my grandfathers side that I know of). I feel pretty good, and Im pretty sure that running is GOOD for my heart, at least compared to sitting around not doing ANYTHING. But I have to say, right at the moment, Im a little worried. I guess, all things considered, Id rather drop dead of a sudden heart attack while trail running than while, say, emptying the cat box. But I kind of hope I can be around to enjoy running (and other things) for a long long time! Like my cousin just told me about her dad, Were happy he was doing something he loved, we just wish it had been 10 or 20 years from now! Run healthy, everyone.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 05:27:03 +0000
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