The Ticker: A tribute to a friend; an invite to all!
Tami Erwin
Technology Executive | Former EVP & CEO, Verizon | Board Director: NYSE, NASDAQ & Private Equity | Transformation Leader | DEI & Sustainability Champion
The Ticker: A tribute to a friend; an invite to all!
“Life’s tough, get a helmet.” Tomorrow, February 7th marks the 14th year anniversary of Mark’s death. A 50-year-old attorney, husband, father, friend to so many, he was playing basketball with his boys during half-time on Super Bowl Sunday. Without warning, he dropped dead of a heart attack. He was the picture of health, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke but had bad genetics and didn’t recognize the warning signs.
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I’ve been reading Dr. Peter Attia’s book, Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. In Chapter 7, The Ticker, he lays out some startling facts about atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease/ASCVD (heart disease and stroke). It is the leading cause of death, killing an estimated 2300 people every day in the US, more than any other cause including cancer.
In his book, Dr. Attia outlines the option to rethink medicine to live better, longer. He refers to it as Medicine 3.0. This is a proactive approach to living life fully and owning accountability for our own health in partnership with our physicians. It’s all the things you’d expect: sleep, healthy eating, reduced stress and yes, lots of movement, strength training, balance and meditation. But he also talks about the importance of early screening, suggesting 3 tests to determine your risk for ASCVD. CT Angiogram, ApoB test and an Lp(a). I share my learnings in honor of my dear friend Mark and in hopes that this info will prevent another family from experiencing the pain and loss we’ve all felt in losing Mark.
The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day sponsored by the American Heart Association. And, while I hope you’ll join in the walk on April 3rd, don’t wait until then to talk with your physician about your risk for heart disease. Be proactive, build a plan, embrace Medicine 3.0.
Transformational Global Communications Executive | Mission-driven to build the strategies, teams and wildly successful results that support the goals of the organization.
10moI’m sorry to hear about your friend. He was way too young. A friend of ours had a heart attack recently and discovered he had a congenital valve defect. Without intervention we may have lost him too in very short order. He had open heart surgery to replace the valve and he’s recovering well. It’s made me evaluate my own heart health and schedule time with my PCP to get everything evaluated. Such good reminders to take better care of ourselves. Thank you! 💗
Offering advice and counsel on communications and security matters supporting enterprise digital transformation objectives.
10moHuge thanks for sharing, really resonated with me given my family history. Another strong book recommendation, I will check it out.
Head of Digital and Service Transformation; Former Chief Digital Officer; General Manager; Executive Advisor, Coach, and Board Member; Public Speaker on Digital Leadership and AI Transformation
10moThanks for sharing, Tami Erwin! I just finished Outlive. The takeaway for me is it is never too early to learn your baseline and risks and take care of yourself (sleep, diet, exercise, and emotional health). And it is also never too late to start.
Global Finance Executive | Private Equity | P&L Ownership | Mergers & Acquisitions | High Performing Teams | Strategic Leadership
10moThanks for sharing Tami. Important reminder for many of us to make sure we understand our genetic disposition. Time is too precious.