Can you really change your lifestyle after years of smoking, physical inactivity, and excess? Donald shares the turning point that, following heart surgery, profoundly changed the way he lived.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits — A Patient-Partner’s Perspective
“There are moments in life when you have to stop and ask yourself the real questions. Alone, you have to look at yourself in the mirror, without pride and with complete honesty about the person looking back at you.”
I Thought I Was Invincible
My name is Donald. Born in the 1950s, I am what we call in Quebec a baby boomer.
I completed my classical studies before going to university, where I studied law. I then pursued further training in criminal law at Harvard. At the time, that university represented a world apart to me. It remains prestigious today, of course, but many other great universities have since emerged alongside it.
More than anything, those were the years when we, the young people of that generation, believed we were invincible. We lived for the moment. The word “immortal” could almost have been our motto.
Once I joined a major law firm in the United States, I began building my career the hard way. We never counted the hours spent at the office. The cases were demanding, the contacts numerous, and the competition among us was a constant source of stimulation.
I married the girlfriend I had met in Boston. I have always said that she was the one who raised our three wonderful children. Without her, I probably could never have had the career I did.
“The Iron Man”
They called me the Iron Man. I was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 230 pounds at the beginning of my career. I was never really the athletic type, but I didn’t carry much extra fat.
Back then, almost everyone smoked. I started with one pack of cigarettes a day, then two, and eventually worked my way up to more than three packs a day.
My diet was hardly any better. I basically ate one meal a day, in the evening. I had a weakness for good cheeses paired with fine red wines, not to mention glasses of Scotch and my rather serious sweet tooth.
Business often took me to restaurants, hotels, and airports. A crazy life, you might say. But when you’re caught up in it, the current carries you along without you even realizing it.
As you can imagine, physical exercise had completely given way to mental exercise: keeping up with the pace, making decisions, solving problems, and coping with constant stress.
The years went by. My weight gradually climbed to 270 pounds, with quite a belly to show for it.
I think you’re beginning to get the picture.
The Three Musketeers
This is where my story really begins.
Once a year, I would get together with my two lifelong friends. You could have called us “the Three Musketeers.” One was a Quebec politician who is now retired, and the other was a cardiologist from Montreal.
A few years ago, at the end of a weekend in Mont-Tremblant, we were waiting for a taxi when I mentioned to the “doc” in our group that I sometimes felt pain in my chest. It went through to my back and down my left arm.
I had attributed this discomfort to the onions in the hot dog I had eaten before this episode…
He clearly didn’t agree.
He wanted me to go to his hospital first thing Monday morning. But I absolutely had to leave for a meeting in Boston. You see, even then, work still came first.
In no time at all, however, I had the name of a cardiologist there and an appointment that afternoon, after my meeting.
Everything Happened Quickly
From that point on, events unfolded rapidly.
Possibly already alerted by my friend in Montreal, his colleague in Boston was particularly concerned. The very next day, I underwent an angiogram of my coronary arteriesThe two coronary arteries, the right and the left, form the blood network that supplies the heart with oxygen and nutrients. They are located directly on the surface of the heart and branch into smaller vessels that — a coronary angiography.
Then a surgeon came to see me.
My arteries were in very bad shape. The blockages were severe enough that I needed coronary bypass surgery without much delay.
Two days later, I found myself in intensive care, still groggy after several hours of surgery.
Five bypasses.
And I Went Back to Work
I bounced back from the ordeal the same way I had always faced challenges: by charging ahead.
I had been advised to take at least two months off work. One month later, I was back at the office, immersed once again in my routine and everything that came with it.
But my heart didn’t keep up.
The chest pain returned. You know, once something has happened to you, you recognize the symptom pretty quickly when it comes back.
So I went back for medical attention.
Another coronary angiography was needed, this time to check my bypass grafts.
I’ll spare you all the technical details. The fact was, my arteries looked like dirt roads. They were diseased and filled with atherosclerotic plaques. Some were also very small.
Just over two months after my surgery, two of my bypass grafts were already blocked.
The doctors tried to reopen them using small balloons, but without success.
Up Against the Wall
And there I was, at 68 years old, being told that we had reached a wall.
“We”…
Doctors are kind that way!
The truth was, I was the one up against the wall.
And what do you do when you find yourself standing at the foot of the Great Wall of China?
For a guy like me — used to being in control, fiercely independent, and financially very comfortable — sitting down in front of someone and asking for advice was not easy.
Some might say I had brought it on myself.
I’m not an idiot. I could look at myself in the mirror. I had cigarettes everywhere, and I could barely see my desk under the piles of files.
Then, one night, I decided to book a flight and go have a “chat with my old buddy… the doc.”
The Conversation That Changed Everything
I sat down with him at his cottage.
Yes, I had a Scotch.
And I lit a few cigarettes.
At that point, what difference did a few more make…
He never once told me that I was responsible for the whole mess. I simply told him that I wasn’t ready to go.
He made it very clear that the price would be high if I wanted to give myself the best possible chance.
But that probably wasn’t what struck me the most.
During all those years devoted to my career, I hadn’t really watched my children grow up. And now, at this point in my life, I had two incredible little granddaughters.
Grandpa wanted to watch them grow up.
That’s when something changed.
“There are moments in life when you have to stop and ask yourself the real questions. Alone, you have to look at yourself in the mirror, without pride and with complete honesty about the person looking back at you.”
I shed a few tears.
My friend joined me!
But don’t tell anyone.
The Plan of Attack
We came up with a plan of attack.
Until then, I had been taking a few pills for high bloodBlood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. White blood cells make up our immune defense system. Platelets contribute to blood pressure without really keeping track of it. From now on, I would have specific goals to work toward.
After my heart surgery, I had also been prescribed medication to lower my cholesterolCholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the human body, but it can also have harmful effects if present in excess. >>. My medical team had set a target for my bad cholesterolCholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the human body, but it can also have harmful effects if present in excess. >>, LDL.
Medical follow-up would obviously guide me. But I had understood one thing: I had a huge responsibility when it came to taking charge of my own health.
It was time to act.
My Last Cigarette
I started by putting out my last cigarette.
I did it without a crutch, without any particular help — cold turkey, as they say.
I haven’t smoked since.
I won’t pretend they don’t still look tempting to me. But today, I know the damage they can do to my arteries. In my eyes, a cigarette now represents death itself.
This time, the choice had been made.
Learning to Eat Again
Then came food.
I first had to get used to eating three meals a day. With the help of a dietitian, we decided to move toward a Mediterranean-style diet, whose cardiovascular benefits are well documented.
The charming dietitian gave me a simple image that I have never forgotten. Whenever I wondered whether my plate was headed in the right direction, she told me to look and see whether there was some colour on it.
Vegetables, fruit, a variety of foods.
For me, that was much easier to remember than a long lecture on nutrition.
I also gradually came to understand that the disease in my arteries could not be blamed on any single cause. Smoking, my diet, my weight, my bloodBlood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. White blood cells make up our immune defense system. Platelets contribute to blood pressure, my cholesterolCholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the human body, but it can also have harmful effects if present in excess. >>, my lack of physical activity, and probably some of what my genes had handed down to me were all part of the equation.
Obviously, I couldn’t change my genes.
But there were many other things I could change.
And that gave me plenty to think about.
Getting My Body Moving Again
You can imagine what a change of direction this was.
But it didn’t stop there.
Exercise was now part of my new “prescription” — this time, without pills.
I started simply by walking. The most important thing was setting aside time for it in my schedule. For someone like me, if it wasn’t on the calendar, there was always a more urgent file waiting.
Over time, I added stationary cycling, first three times and then four times a week.
Little by little, a new routine took hold.
Taking Stock
When you make financial investments, you periodically review the results.
I decided to do the same with my health.
After one year, I had lost about 60 pounds. I felt better and, above all, I was looking forward to the future. My LDL cholesterolCholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the human body, but it can also have harmful effects if present in excess. >> had been measured at 1.6 mmol/L.
I also retired from the law firm. I still work a few hours a week as a consultant. I couldn’t give up everything at once!
And the Scotch?
I now allow myself a glass on truly special occasions.
As for the chest pain, I’d rather not say too much about it — call it superstition.
But you can read between the lines: I feel very well.
Almost Five Years Later
Today, nearly five years after all these events, my LDL cholesterolCholesterol is essential for the proper functioning of the human body, but it can also have harmful effects if present in excess. >> is around 1.3 mmol/L.
My weight is back to about 90 kg, much closer to what is appropriate for my height. My average bloodBlood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. White blood cells make up our immune defense system. Platelets contribute to blood pressure is now around 117/77 mmHg.
And I keep moving forward.
Every year, I go back to visit my cardiologist friend at his cottage in Mont-Tremblant. It is my way of thanking him, of course, but also of reminding myself of that conversation and the goals I had set for myself.
Why Tell My Story?
I agreed to share my experience because somewhere, there is surely someone who has reached a turning point of their own.
Someone who knows that certain things need to change but is still wondering whether they can actually do it.
Yes, change is possible.
It takes willpower, of course. But above all, I have learned that you need a reason important enough to keep going. A goal you can picture clearly when the effort becomes more difficult.
In my case, my granddaughters first gave me that reason.
For some people, even a few changes in lifestyle habits can already make a big difference. Quitting smoking, becoming more active, eating better, or simply taking better care of yourself can be a start.
If this story can help someone take that first step before they are forced to, then it will have served a purpose.
I will soon become a grandfather for the fifth time.
I feel truly blessed.
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