– by Karen Morgan Executive Director, Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation –
You just never know. Lesley and Johnny had a plan and they were working toward a comfortable retirement. House? Check. Retirement funds? Check. Kids launched? Check (well, almost).
Then Johnny had a heart attack. His stay in hospital was short and the initial recovery went well, although Lesley will tell you that Johnny really hated the idea of needing to take pills every day. Things were also made more challenging because of Johnny’s job. He’s a master carpenter who often works outside, on fairly major construction projects. His return to work needed to be gradual, ensuring that he wasn’t physically taxed beyond his recovering body’s ability to cope.
Lesley is not a person who shies away from a challenge (those of us who work with her know this for a fact!) And here was a formidable one – get Johnny back to (or almost to) his previous level of health and fitness.
Johnny did all the things the doctor recommended. Lesley made sure he did. Then she made some other changes in their life:
• Meatless Monday became a couple of meatless dinners a week to reduce saturated fats. Lighter recipes also became part of Lesley’s repertoire, again to reduce fats. Lesley also started looking for some different vegetables, so they could keep meals interesting.
• So nothing is forgotten, Lesley got Johnny a pill organizer. All his new medications are in one place and are easily accessible.
• A daily walk, even when they were both tired, became part of their evening routine. This helped build Johnny’s stamina, gave them time to reconnect and allowed them to reduce their stress levels.
• Yoga classes, which not only added some more exercise, but also gave them time together, away from the stress of daily life, became a regular part of their week.
• Holidays. Lesley and Johnny have always valued these times to hike, camp and spend time with their family. Now that the children are grown, she made sure that the holidays were still scheduled, so that restorative time in nature was still a part of their lives.
If you’re concerned about your heart health, what can you do?
First of all, listen to your doctor. Second, don’t smoke.
Many simple fixes can be added to the mix to assist the recommendations (and perhaps medication) your doctor will give you. Recent articles suggest that a little exercise on a regular basis will go a long way to help you keep your heart healthy. Many other articles are all over the place on which foods are good and which are not – here’s another place to get some good advice from your doctor.
And did I mention – DON’T SMOKE.
As we all age, health challenges occur and none of us comes with a guarantee (much less a user’s manual!) At this time Lesley and Johnny are facing another major health challenge. But all of us who know and love them see that they are planning to deal with this new challenge with the same single-minded determination as they dealt with the last. Lesley and Johnny are working to give themselves the best possible chance to enjoy their well-earned retirement.
