February is American Heart Month, a national observance that raises awareness of cardiovascular health and promotes heart-healthy lifestyles. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to this in the past, but this year, it has a lot more meaning to me.
On March 16, 2025, I suffered a massive heart attack. I had 100% blockage in my widowmaker artery. I’m lucky to be alive! Only 12% of all people who experience a widowmaker heart attack outside a hospital or advanced care facility survive, according to the American Heart Association. I’m lucky my wife got me to the hospital, just in time. (I should have called 911!) I’m grateful to the talented team at Beacon Health System that saved my life.
This all caught me a little by surprise. I was generally healthy, active, worked out regularly, never smoked, and ate well, most of the time. My most recent physical exam, ahead of the heart attack, was good. I had no signs or symptoms. But I do have a family history of heart disease, with my grandfather, dad, aunt, and uncles all with various heart challenges through the years. It’s hard to escape the family genes.
I wasn’t always healthy. In 2007, during my time as Mishawaka’s Mayor, I developed some unhealthy habits. I was on the go, didn’t always eat well, and rarely had time to exercise.
At the same time, health insurance costs were rising at the city and the only real way to control those costs was to have a healthier workforce. I brought in Onsite Health Solutions to do health assessments for our employees. I volunteered to go first. I didn’t like too much what they had to say. They put me in the “obese” category. But they were right, I had ballooned to 279 lbs. Though I didn’t like what I heard, I found the advice and recommendations to be helpful. I decided I’d better make some changes, or I’d be having a heart attack for sure.
On-Site recommended several small, incremental changes. I started making time to move my body, began eating better and set a goal each week to weigh less than the week before. I changed my lifestyle. Over two years, I lost 100 pounds and celebrated my progress by running the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, on my 40th birthday.
That was 16 years ago. Because I never went on a diet and instead made lifestyle changes, I was able to keep that weight off. Eating was an important part of that lifestyle change, as was exercise. Running had become an important part of my life, and along the way, I’ve run 10 half marathons in addition to the marathon, and a hundred other 5K, 10K and 15K races. As I got older, I did more walking than running and added a spin bike into my workout routine.
I don’t want to go through what I went through in 2025 again. And I hope those reading this never have to experience something similar. The best way to avoid it is to make some simple choices.
As you think about your own heart health, I hope you’ll take my experience as a gentle nudge to pause and pay attention to your body. Start with simple, sustainable steps, as I did. Make changes to your diet. Reduce salt. Make that annual check-up you’ve been putting off. Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar.
Build movement into your day, even if it’s just a 20-minute walk. Give yourself permission to rest, manage stress and reconnect with the people who bring you joy. And if something doesn’t feel right, don’t wait — seek care. My story could have ended very differently, and I’m grateful every day that it didn’t. I want the same for you. Take care of your heart. It’s the only one you get.