You’re only immortal for a limited time

This February, at age 50, I found myself faced with a serious health issue. I learned I needed double bypass surgery for my heart, and if I didn’t get the surgery, I was essentially a “ticking time bomb.” For a guy who’s been racing bicycles for 20 years, weighs 150 pounds, and eats fairly well, I’m certainly not the prototypical heart surgery recipient. But genetics certainly were not working in my favor.

The good news was they found the problem. Actually, it was a second cardiologist who found the problem after the first one said I was fine. I was probably going to get a second chance, assuming I lived through surgery. Most people with widow-maker blockages that suffer a heart attack don’t survive (less than 10%). I’d been lucky on a number of levels. Lucky I hadn’t had a heart attack yet, and lucky I listened to my body and sought a second opinion.