Something for everyone to think about which has nothing to do with writing or m/m--a soapbox rant by Annmarie

You've all seen the commercials right? You can get cholesterol from pizza and from your grandpa Luigi. From chocolate cheesecake and from mama Patsi. I know you've seen 'em and you've laughed at the way the person looks similiar to the food. I know this because I've done it myself.

Well, here's your wake up call.

Three years ago my brother had a heart attack at 31 years old! 31. Not 73, not 82, but 31. Now granted, at the time he smoked and ate horribly. In fact, he was in the drive thru lane at Taco Bell when he had his rather large heart attack. They put a stent in and warned him to change his lifestyle. We all thought those were the reasons it had happened.

Fast forward three years to last weekend.

My mother has chest pains. She is 63. The first time, she discounted the pain in her chest and arms and jaws, the sweatiness, the out of breath feeling. She'd been walking at the time. When she sits down, the pain subsides. My mother walks 3 miles every day and goes to Curves three times a week. She eats the right foods. Never had high blood pressure or bad cholesterol checks, never been sick a day in her life. Two days later, the same pain only this time worse. Off to the emergency room we go.

Turns out my mother had a 95% blockage in an artery that carries 1/3 of the blood supply to her heart! Can you say, hello? What caused this in a woman so healthy? Must have been my grandpa Marvin, because oh yeah! He died of his own heart attack. Except back then no one thought anything of it because he had a whole slough of other problems.

Now we know the problem. Hereditary sticky cholesterol which doesn't make your cholesterol numbers high and isn't picked up with that particular test. Nice. I have a sister who's 38. I am 31 and I can't stop thinking, when's it my turn?

I have an appointment with my doctor next week. Is this making anyone else think the same thing? It should.

Enough said.