Missouri man turns heart disease diagnosis into public service message

Don Young already had been through an excruciating ordeal with throat cancer that included removal of his larynx, multiple hospitalizations and a doctor's prediction of six months to live – all while in his 40s.

接着是心脏病.

It started in the middle of the night when he got out of bed and passed out on the bedroom floor. 撞击声立刻惊醒了他的妻子凯. 她发现丈夫不省人事，于是拨打了911. At the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with coronary artery disease. He underwent a catheterization procedure to insert a stent that widened a plaque-filled heart artery.

“它悄悄降临到我身上，然后有一天，砰! 它就在这里。. 查尔斯,密苏里州. 他使用一种叫做电喉的装置说话. “我想，‘天哪，我可能会死.“我不知道，我还能再活一年? 我会不会有一天心脏病发作而死?

心脏问题始于2005年. 他又接受了四个支架和一个新的主动脉瓣. He also learned that the culprit for his heart disease was the same as for his throat cancer.

他说:“这些年来都是狗在抽烟。. “这是我对自己做的."

Don had already quit smoking cigarettes before his heart disease diagnosis. At his peak, he was smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day.

Determined to warn young people about the dangers of smoking and the addictiveness of nicotine, Don and Kay – also an ex-smoker – formed a nonprofit called Young Choices, 公司. They gave presentations at schools, churches and health fairs. At the presentations, some teenagers would cry when they saw pictures from Don's surgeries.

Some kids would tell him they didn't want their mom and dad to die.

"You go home and tell your mom and dad, 'You need to stop smoking,'" Don would reply.

Don and Kay closed their organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. 尽管如此，他们知道自己多年的倡导奏效了. 唐偶尔会在大街上遇到年轻人. Louis area who recognize him, and express gratitude for his speech when they were teens.

“曾经有孩子走过来对我说, “我记得你来我学校的时候, 我不抽烟是因为你教我的,’”唐说。.

现在, 为了保持健康, Don and Kay – who each have adult children from previous marriages, and now have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren – try to eat a heart-healthy diet with limited salt and fat.

Don takes several medications and sees his cardiologist twice a year for monitoring. 他也非常活跃，甚至在圣. 路易斯老年奥运会.

It's been a tough journey, but the couple credit their Christian faith for helping them cope.

“30年来，我们一直生活在悬崖边上，”凯说. "I even wake up mornings now and look over to see if he's breathing."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.