We know how many gallons it takes to fill our cars…
But when it comes to our bodies, we don’t know our numbers.
Nearly half of the adult American population has high blood pressure and most don’t even know it or the health risks of not knowing.
DeAngelo Banks, 46, admits he didn’t know his numbers. He had no symptoms. He thought he was completely healthy. The truth is, he was walking around with hypertension—a major cause of premature death. That didn’t surprise him as his father had hypertension. But it was worse than that. Only after he finally reached out to a doctor did he find out he was in dire straits. He had no idea. He was caught completely off guard. DeAngelo was at risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and other life-threatening complications. By the time he got to the emergency department at St. Mary Mercy Livonia, he found out he needed immediate surgery to repair his heart. His numbers indicated he didn’t have long to live. During recovery from his life-saving surgery, DeAngelo and the St. Mary Mercy Livonia Cardiac Rehab team worked together to get him feeling healthy again. Today, he’s feeling great and much younger than his actual age.
His message: Talk to your doctor. Find out what your numbers are. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your health. Even the embarrassing questions.
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