February is American Heart Month. It’s easy to dismiss such a title, just as it’s easy to dismiss that slight pain after being in the heat or cold a little too long.
Heart disease is not a trifle that can be shooed away. It is the number one killer of men and women in our nation, and is often referred to as the silent killer. Symptoms are typically not that noticeable until it is too late, or show up in a way not expected.
Wakonda, South Dakota Pastor, Calvin Jones, experienced his first and very serious heart attack back in October of 2013. Jones didn’t know what was happening till it was almost too late, because of the unusual way the pain manifested itself.
“It was my back that I thought was the issue” Jones recalls, having battled various kinds of back pain for many years. “After the surgery, I don’t hurt like I did before. What I thought was my back, was in fact not my back”.
Jones spent 10 days in the hospital and ended up having to have a double bi-pass surgery. Nearly three months later, Jones is much stronger but still recovering.
“If you’re having pain, don’t let it slide, but have it checked out.”
If you would like to learn more about American Heart Month, Live Will Sioux Falls and The American Heart Association will be delivering a news conference on heart disease awareness, Monday, February 3rd at the Sioux Falls Health Department, 521 North Main Avenue at 3pm.
They will talk about National wear red day, heart healthy activities, and a new resource to help residents Live Well.