Two Brave Men

Last week, I was shaken by events involving two men. Both of these men had common things among them.

• I deeply respect both of them.
• They have influenced and changed the course of my life.
• They both suffered heart attacks last week.

It was ironic since when one of them suffered an heart attack, I was frantically trying to reach the other for advice. So, you can imagine my helplessness during the crisis.

The first gentleman was my dad’s friend. While in bed after dinner, he sensed something wrong. Being a doctor, he was able to identify this to be an heart attack. He immediately dressed, drove to the hospital and got admitted himself. While recounting the experience later, he admitted on taking a calculated risk.

The second gentleman is my uncle. He was on his way to home when he experienced a chest pain. He sat down in a nearby park and called me. After I reached the spot, he slowly walked into the car and wanted to go home to lay down. I took him to the nearby hospital where my suspicion was confirmed after he underwent an ECG. He was immediately moved to critical care unit.

Both of them are safe now and are undergoing treatment.

After musing over last week’s events, my advice is

1. Don’t take calculated risks. Even if you do it, please inform it to someone.
2. If you do experience chest pain, please have it checked by a doctor.
3. If you have a lasting chest pain, please call someone immediately and ask them to take you to the hospital(It is unfortunate we do not have 911 to dial).
4. When someone calls, please listen to the person carefully. A major part of communication is non-vocal.