Coronary Artery Disease

David Cravedi is once again jogging three miles a day. And the high cholesterol that led to a heart attack is now under control.
Photo: Kathleen Cravedi

Our nation's number one killer. And high cholesterol is a major cause.

At age 55, David Cravedi of Bethesda, Md., was in perfect health. Or, so he thought. He didn't smoke, drank moderately, ate a balanced diet, wasn't overweight, and exercised daily. And he did not have a family history of heart disease. The only early symptom of a potential heart problem was an elevated cholesterol reading from a physical exam.

So, in September 2005, no one suspected that Cravedi was having a heart attack when he awoke one morning with numbness in his left arm. His wife drove him to a nearby emergency room to be checked. He was immediately placed in a helicopter and flown to a hospital specializing in heart surgery. There, he was found to have had a heart attack. Further tests indicated the need for immediate bypass surgery. Within 24 hours of his first symptoms, Cravedi awoke in a hospital intensive care unit following a successful six-bypass surgical procedure.

Today, David is on a daily regimen of cholesterol-reducing medication, eats a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and is back to his daily 3-mile run.

"Don't wait to have a heart attack, like I did, to take the necessary action to reduce your high cholesterol," said Cravedi. "I thought diet and exercise could take care of it, and it did not. However, I have been told that there was little damage to my heart. Perhaps my daily exercise routine produced a strong heart!"