Well I guess we all get wake up calls at some point in our life. One of mine came on June 14, 2001 when I had a heart attack. The technical explanation was a complete blockage of the Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD) which required a Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PCTA) and a stent to strengthen the arterial walls. This type of condition is known as "The Widow Maker" because it strikes quickly, without warning and in many cases with fatal results. Modern medicine rocks! Below are some images of my heart in various states. I have documented my experience for those that are interested.

NOTE: I am not a medical professional and am in no position to offer and advice or opinion related to coronary care. Please contact a qualified medical professional if you have cardiac related questions.

• Before - at the start of the angioplasty, this is a shot of the LAD with the blockage
• During the procedure - this is where they inject dye to see what is going on.
• Placing the stent - which is inserted into the artery (note my ribs in the background)
• After the work is done - good as new!
• Check out the Stress Echo (requires Quicktime)- 1 year later June 2002

Related Resorces

• American Heart Association
• HeartInfo an independent, educational Web site that provides information and services to heart patients
• HeartCenter online
• PCTA/Angioplasty site
• Heart Disease - from the Mining Company
• MyCardio
• Coronary Artery Disease resources from Google