The Fog Has Lifted
“I feel alive again. I feel healthy and energized in a way that I haven’t felt since I was 13 years old. I’m no longer tired all the time, and I can think clearly. The fog has finally been lifted.”
This is the story of Mr. Benjamin Adams.
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From as far back as he could remember, Benjamin Adams had always been a true go-getter. Growing up on the family farm, he learned early on the importance of hard work and determination. From tending to crops and livestock to fixing the roads around his home, he was always on the go—physically and mentally—and always looking to work on his next project...to achieve his next goal. At an early age, operating tractors and working on automobiles became second nature to him.
By the age of 17, having mastered the ways of a mechanic, Benjamin had already successfully built his first high-performance automobile engine--one of his proudest moments in life.
Up until that point, life was good. With a loving family, numerous friends, good health, and a rewardingly active life as a running back on the varsity football team, everything seemed to be going perfectly for him.
That is, until one fateful day at the age of seventeen. During a varsity football game, it dawned on him that something just wasn’t right. While mentally, his drive was stronger than ever--physically, he knew something was wrong. At what should have been the peak of his life, Benjamin had the distinct realization that his health was somehow declining. He no longer had the energy he used to. He felt tired all the time, and he was exhausted by activities that he had no trouble doing years before.
"At what should have been the peak of his life...his health was declining. He no longer had the energy he used to. He felt tired all the time and was exhausted by activities that he had no trouble doing years before."
Nevertheless, this didn’t get him down. Despite his gradually worsening symptoms—or perhaps, because of it-- Benjamin was now more determined than ever to keep going…to overcome these new challenges. Rather than going to see a doctor, he tackled life head on, not letting his physical exhaustion get in the way of his pursuing his goals. By the age of twenty-nine, he had already built a successful family business. However, with this success came a new layer of challenges—new responsibilities, more stresses, longer hours. A lot of the pressure came from Benjamin himself and his high expectations; he wanted to succeed, he wanted to make his family proud, and he wanted to do the best job he could. For the next decade, he pressed on.
Then it happened. In 2003, at the age of thirty-six, he had his first massive stroke while driving an 18-wheeler. Luckily, he was able to pull the emergency brake before blacking out, and his coworkers were able to help him to safety. At the hospital—his first 'real' doctor visit—he was hit with some sobering news: his health was indeed declining. Years of diabetes and high blood pressure had chipped away at his body.
"At the hospital—his first 'real' doctor visit—he was hit with sobering news: his health was indeed declining. Years of diabetes and high blood pressure had chipped away at his body."
From there, the health problems continued to arise. Over the years, he was hospitalized for a life-threatening blood infection, had repeat strokes that led to partial vision loss in his left eye, got diagnosed with asthma, and found out that he had a massively abnormal heart calcium score of 937—a number suggesting that he not only had heart disease, but that it was advanced and that he was in danger of having serious heart attacks. Further tests showed that he had what was called “small vessel arterial disease”—meaning that the blood vessels supplying his heart were so narrow that his heart muscle essentially was not getting enough oxygen.
"Further tests showed that he had a condition where the blood vessels supplying his heart were so narrow that his heart muscle essentially was not getting enough oxygen."
It was then that his cardiologist told him about EECP. Although he had never heard about this procedure, his doctor assured Benjamin that he has seen it help a lot of people who had suffered from similar health issues as him. Having never been one to shy away from new opportunities, Benjamin didn’t hesitate at the chance to come to Legacy Heart Care and was eager to get started. The result? Let’s let Mr. Adams tell you himself:
“Before EECP, I was tired all the time. I couldn’t think clearly. I was having regular chest pain, which my nitroglycerin sometimes helped and sometimes didn’t.
The first time I finished an EECP treatment, I actually was more tired…like I just had a workout. But the very next morning, I felt completely different. All of a sudden, I once again felt the way I used to feel before my health declined—energized and ready to go. The pain and exhaustion were gone. I could even think more clearly. Truly, it felt like a fog had been lifted. All this…after one treatment.
Because of this, my life has changed for the better. I honestly feel like I haven’t felt this well since the age of thirteen. I can do things I enjoy again. I feel alive. EECP made me feel alive again. Not only that, during my time here, I felt so cared for; everyone at Legacy is so wonderful, and I am grateful to them.”
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Mr. Adams, we think you are wonderful as well. Thank you for sharing a piece of your life with us.
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