Samuel A. Kojoglanian, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Just the other day, a man died in my office. He had walked a good 10 minutes on the treadmill as we spoke about life and the obstacles it presents, but never did we imagine what was to transpire.
LJ stepped off the treadmill, laid on the examining table, and post stress echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) images were obtained. He denied chest pains, though the EKG spoke differently. He denied smoking though the clothing testified to the truth. LJ denied being diabetic though his 250 pound frame betrayed his speech. And he denied hypertension though the sphygmomanometer screamed of dangerous levels.
While LJ was sitting up during the recovery phase, he suddenly stopped talking. His eyes shut, his head flopped, and he fell to the floor. I quickly glanced at the monitor and saw fast ventricular tachycardia, a rhythm not compatible with life. We laid him on his back, I got on my knees and said, “Lord Jesus, I’m gonna need your help!” 911 was called, CPR was started, a thump to the chest was delivered, and my patient was turning bluer by the second.
How did a talking 59 year old man just slip out of my hands, and pass through the putrid iron gates of death? How did a normal EKG turn into a terrifying rhythm? Didn’t he have warning signs? He had kept the whole story from me including severe chest pains with exertion. But that didn’t matter now.
By God’s grace, my office staff brought the dead back to life. LJ was rushed to the cardiac catheterization lab. I saw two 99% blockages in his main artery, unclogged them with stents and sent LJ home completely intact in two days.
In a few days, LJ visited us in the office. He no longer smoked. Life was different now because of death. I prayed for him when he was dying, and now I prayed with him when he was living.
There are times when a person has to die in order to live. Though our time here may seem eternal, it all happens in a blink of an eye, and not all warning signs are obvious. I’d like to call out the dead amongst the living and ask, “What in the world are you waiting for?” Take care of yourself now. Eat and live healthy now. Give now. Stop complaining now. Stop smoking now. Hope now. Pray now. And love now.