Caring Through Generations
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Heart-health "hooks" trophy fisherman
When Greg Hahn went to work in late October 2003, he expected just another normal day at Royal Jewelers in Fargo. He'd already had his typical "breakfast" of coffee and a half-pack of cigarettes.
But his day veered from normal when he noticed what seemed like indigestion. "I popped an antacid and figured it would just go away, but this time it didn't. After an hour, the pain was still there. Then I started feeling pain in my arms and there was a squeezing, twisting sensation in my chest. That's when I got in my truck and headed to MeritCare Emergency Center," he says. "I parked two blocks away and on my walk over, I smoked my last cigarette."
Tests at MeritCare revealed previous heart attacks as well as severe blockages in five areas, prompting quintuple heart bypass surgery. The surgery was a success, but even before surgery, Greg made a life-changing decision. "I saw the hole in the ground and I knew I wasn't ready to go there. I became determined to do everything possible so I wouldn't be stopped by health problems," says the trophy fisherman, who was 52 at the time.
By the May 2004 fishing opener, Greg had completed several months of exercise and heart-health education at MeritCare Cardiac Rehab. Seventy pounds lighter, he had stopped smoking, improved his eating habits and learned to better manage stress. "At MeritCare, they give you the tools you need to get the job done, but ultimately you're the one who has to get yourself there," he says. "You're the one who has to keep at it if you want results." Greg's results include a weight of 190 and a total cholesterol level of 175.
Today, Greg continues his heart-healthy path, including a two-hour workout every morning preceded by a breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, toast and coffee. Since his heart attack, he's run well over 6,000 miles. "Other than some arthritis in my arms and shoulders, I can basically do anything I want to do," he says. "I consider myself lucky."