Get your husbands checked...

Y'all know that I have favorite stores and shops near me.

I have a hair-dresser that I followed from one salon to another.

I go to an authentic Chinese restaurant that's located in a corner shopping mall.

I walk to a coffee shop about 1/4 mile away from my house. The shop is owned by some people who live less than a mile from me. This couple has a son who is best friends with my old neighbor's son (they played football together).

My dentist is in the same shop area as the coffee shop.

I also have a favorite radio morning radio program. On Monday, I found out that the morning radio guy had a minor heart attack after his show on Friday. A heart attack! What's "local" about this guy is that he and his family live nearby. I actually met the guy at the Blockbuster that's about 1.5 miles from my house. He was nice as pie. And now when I email into the show and he reads my comments, he remembers that we've met.

Here's what happened:

After his show, he went home.

He noticed that his chest was kind of tight.

He took a shower thinking it would relax him.

As he was getting dressed, he realized that the tightness hadn't gone away. His chest hurt.

He asked his wife to call 911.

She told him to stop belly-aching. To get dressed. Then she'd take him to the Urgent Care (which is a 1/4 mile from my house).

He walked up to the desk at Urgent Care and said he'd been having chest pain for the last hour.

He immediately was whisked to the back -- much to the chagrin of those who were in the waiting room.

The nurse asked him a couple questions and then took his blood pressure.

Once she got his blood pressure, she bolted to the door. Call 911!

In less than 30 seconds, the room was filled with a bunch of people poking and prodding at him.

Needless to say, an ambulance came and he was rushed to the hospital where tests a-plenty were run.

Turns out that he's got an enlarged aorta.

They also found that one of his heart valve, which should have 3 flaps only has 2 flaps. Not a problem now but would most likely cause problems later on in life.

After about 72 hours in the hospital, the guy has released. He's now on blood thinning medication and blood pressure medication.

In about 6 weeks, the guy will have open heart surgery to fix/replace his aorta and address his valve issue.

But y'all? He's only 36 years old and he had a heart attack. THIRTY SIX! He's a husband. He's a father of two boys, who are 3 and 5. He doesn't smoke and rarely drinks. He's got a few more pounds on his frame than he should but he's far from obese.

What's crazy is this radio guy is not unique. Last summer the manager at the Blockbuster? He had also heart surgery. The manager is a husband. He's a father of a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. And he is 39 years old.

So PLEASE make sure your husband get checked. We all know how our husbands refuse to see the doctor. But please get them into the doc at least ONCE a year to get themselves checked out. And if they have chest pain? Please make sure they go into the nearest medical facility to get checked. Please.