Tim Russert, Katie Couric and a Chance to Save a Life

Like many guys of “a certain age,” I was laid low by the sudden death of Tim Russert. Just last winter I had a complete physical, including a colonoscopy, and came out clean as a whistle. In fact, my doctor told me, “You’re the fittest fat man in Philly.”

It’s cruel. My doctor said, “I have 110 pound women coming in here who do yoga every day. The watch what they eat. They exercise. And they have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. You? Your tests show that you’re as healthy as a guy half your age.”

How ’bout dat? But all those good tests don’t mean a thing if the old ticker goes haywire. I read “Not a Moment Too Soon, I Thought About Tim Russert” in the NYT this morning. Writer Michael Bicks talks about his shortness of breath and nausea that made him, over his embarrassment, go to the hospital.

As in Tim Russert’s case, there were no warning signs. No sign I was suffering from coronary artery disease. A piece of plaque in one of my arteries just broke off and created a massive blood clot. When it did, I suffered a severe heart attack. If I had not gone to the hospital, I might very well have died.

Because at the right moment I thought of Tim Russert, I am one of the lucky ones. I get to hug my wife and my kids, understand how wonderful my friends are and realize exactly how much I love my life. It is a debt I can never repay.

He was saved by overcoming his hesitation and fear. That’s the good part. Katie Couric recently did a piece about using defibrillators in the office. The video is below.

“Trust me, they are a lot easier to use than they are to pronounce, and they can save a life,” she says.

More than a million people have a heart attack a year, but only 300,000 have sudden cardiac arrest and of those half of them have never had any previous history of heart decreases. Nationally, if you go down and no one is around, there is only a 4 - 6 percent survival rate. If you have CPR it can go up to 15 percent and with a defibrillator the survival rate can be 30 - 40 percent, even higher.

Your Job Can Kill You

Look out for job stress or you’ll end up like Fred Sanford saying, “I’m coming to you, Elizabeth.” Job stress can kill you.

Calculate How Long You’ll Live

Here’s a fun little Flash-based calculator. I’m making it to 80 according to this.

Google’s Doc Says “Get Sick, Go Home”

Google’s resident doctor says don’t be a victim of presenteeism. If you’re sick, go home. And there’s a good business reason for following the doctor’s orders.

How Should We Improve Healthcare in America?

Yahoo Answers has a question: Based on your own family’s experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America? 37,892 people have answered. That’s a heckuva piece of research. And valuable information for HR benefits plan designers.