It was just like any ordinary day. He went in for a haircut and then Mike and a family friend were heading to the dump to drop off the last load of garbage and compost. Mike wasn’t feeling well. He was nauseous and sore.  As he unloaded the bags from the back of the pick-up truck, he struggled more than normal.  A sign of getting older, he thought.

The two went out for lunch while they were in town. When they were heading back home, Mike had to pull over. He thought he was going to vomit. His friend decided that Mike shouldn’t drive any farther and the two switched places.

When he got home, he called his wife and asked her to bring him pudding and bananas because he was ill. When she got there, she knew it was worse than he had let on. She packed him into the car and drove 30 minutes to the nearest hospital.

He arrived at the emergency room with his wife around 10 p.m. As the nurses and doctor began to work on him they asked, “Mike, how long have you been having a heart attack?”

By that time my father had been having a heart attack for over eight hours.

Doctors called for LifeFlight, but the helicopter couldn’t fly due to adverse weather conditions. Around 3 a.m., my father was loaded into an ambulance and rushed to St. Patrick’s hospital in Missoula where he stayed for several days after surviving his heart attack.  He underwent triple bypass surgery several weeks later and has since made a full recovery.

My father was very lucky. His symptoms were not sudden and intense like the ones you see in the movies. According to the American Heart Association most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. More often than not, victims don’t know what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help.

Common symptoms include chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body such as back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. Even if you are not sure that what you’re experiencing is a heart attack, have it checked out. The AHA states that minutes matter—time is muscle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. In 2010, approximately 597,000 deaths were linked to heart disease.

Hypertension–abnormally high blood pressure–increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. A 2012 CDC report stated that almost half of all adults with hypertension have uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Smoking and stress are also associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Luckily, these are two things you can control. The AHA identifies smoking tobacco, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, excess body fat and diabetes as major risk factors that you can modify, treat or control with medicine or lifestyle choices.  

Your lifestyle is your best defense against heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The AHA suggests you follow the ABCs: Avoid tobacco, Become more active and Choose good nutrition.

Each year thousands of people make resolutions to eat healthier, exercise more and to kick those nasty habits. Two months in to 2014, I’ll bet that those resolutions have gone out the window.  Now is the time to get back on track or to keep making healthy choices. Your choices now can mean all the difference to you, your health and your family for years to come.

Don’t wait to take charge and to take heart.