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Article: Heart Success & Failure; As More People Survive Heart Attacks and Heart Disease, They Live to Develop Heart Failure. It's Progress -- of Sorts.
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 18, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Earlier this spring, Suitland retiree Colyum Neal went fishing and
landed 25 pounds' worth of fish. While the haul wasn't remarkable,
the fact that he was casting and reeling at all was. Two decades ago
he suffered a heart attack that was supposed to have killed him.
"I was at the Capitol Hill Hospital," Neal recalled, "and the
doctor said, 'Mr. Neal, after looking at your heart, you should be
dead.' "
Neal's heart still shows evidence of the massive tissue damage the
heart attack brought. And his body still feels the effects. He loses
breath easily. To land the big ones, he sometimes has to hand his
fishing rod to his son. And he carefully measures out a daily
cocktail of seven heart drugs, ...