Jeff's History with the Condition
Jeff is a technology consultant working in the cloud and custom development arenas. In his personal life, he is a husband, an avid outdoors person, and a runner.
On his blog, he writes about his back-country hiking adventures and his day-to-day life with heart disease, among other topics.
Jeff is also an active community member of the American Heart Association Support Network. There, people can find support to deal with the aftereffects of heart disease, either as survivors or caregivers.
Jeff says:
"Every aspect of my life changed after my heart attack. Cardiac depression, anxiety, and panic attacks became my new companions. But it wasn't all bad. I've discovered I'm capable of many things, many of them hidden from me before the heart attack.
"I began to run 5km, 10km, 15km, half marathons, and marathons. Next, I started mountain climbing and back-country hiking to combat my panic attacks. The idea was to force myself to focus on life's beauty and possibilities instead of feeding into my disastrous thinking.
"Heart disease is incurable and chronic, yet, it's not without gifts either. While I understand nothing is constant, I am having the time of my life right now. I survived something that could have killed me, so I'm doing everything I've ever wanted to do - with some adjustments for my health.
"Every day is a promise. It's up to us to make them good."
The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.
NPS-ALL-NP-00929 April 2023