“As breakfast host for Niu FM I can understand how messages aimed at our Pacific people can get lost when there’s a dozen of them thrown at you. But when we started doing the One Heart Many Lives campaign, it had a personal effect on me because it’s something I’ve had to deal with my entire life.
I was moved by Tamati Davis’ story in SPASIFIK and how he lost more than 100 kilos (which appeared Nov/Dec Issue 35). My story is a bit different. I’ve tried to do the right things like eating properly and exercising. While it’s helped me get this far, I also know that heart disease doesn’t discriminate.
I was born with an abnormal heart `condition` called Atrial Fibrillation. It’s an irregular heartbeat and while it’s described as asymptomatic (the body doesn’t show or produce signs of the disease) I’ve read that those who have it are sevens times more likely to suffer from a stroke. Surprise, surprise, three years ago live on the breakfast show I suffered a mild stroke. I started spinning out, couldn’t talk, broke out in a cold sweat, turned the mic off and went off air, spending a day in hospital.
I was first diagnosed with it in my teens and as I got older my check-ups became more frequent, like three or four times a year. I’ve been on medication for the past few years. Warfarin thins my blood so I don’t get blood clots, the major cause for strokes, and Beta Blocks slow down my heart rate.
What makes my situation worse is that I also have a valvular heart disease called Mitral Regurgitation, where one valve doesn’t close properly. For most people it’s like a saloon door. My mitral valve doesn’t close properly when the heart pumps out blood, so it leaks blood back (regurgitates) from the left ventricle back into the atrium.
I’ve noticed how quickly I get fatigued. I like being active but these days I can’t even last a game of touch.
A year or so ago the specialists said I shouldn’t need an operation for a while. Opening up your heart is something they would only want to do once in a lifetime and, at my age and with my generally good `condition`, they thought I was too young. But, for whatever reason, the valve has deteriorated quickly during the past year and they need to act sooner rather than later.
The doctors have been pretty straight up with me. They have to be. They said that by going into my heart there’s an element of risk and there’s a chance I could die. I would have preferred that they just said there’s an element of risk and left it at that.
I know they need to cover all their bases and they’ve said with my general health the chances of not coming through are very slim. Anyway, if I didn’t have the operation, I’d be dead within five years.
Kathy (my wife) has been great. After initially going by myself she came with me to talk to the doctors. I wasn’t that great about explaining to her what I’d been told. I’m learning. Of course I worry about her and the kids … and my mum and dad, who I only told recently. I was trying to hold out because I’m always worried about how Mum will take it. She cries when one of my kids falls over. Like most of us PIs with our parents, I prefer to give as little info as possible.
But the family wanted to go to Australia these holidays to visit my sisters. They wanted me to go, too. They’re now staying here in New Zealand and my sisters are coming over to help Kathy with the kids (Kyan – five years old and Kaitlyn – aged two), while I’m in hospital and recovering at home.
The best news from my doctor was that I can’t do any housework for at least five weeks. Kathy reckons I’ll milk it for all its worth.
It feels weird speaking out about this. I’ve never done it before and when I started writing stuff down it really got me thinking how important it is to do what I can to tell people to look after their heart. And if you have a good heart, don’t take it for granted.”
