For Valentine’s Day, the typical goal is to give someone your heart. Maybe it’s your spouse or sweetie, your kids, family or friends, dog, or even your pet rock. Whoever or whatever it may be, if you’re going to give your heart, you should make sure you’re giving a healthy heart. No better time to think about that than American Heart Month.
When is that, you ask? Well, it’s February of course! Why else would I be writing about that now?
As a sports fan, and especially as an IndyCar fan, I couldn’t think of a better person to discuss this topic with than local sports radio host, podcaster, and IndyCar radio announcer, Jake Query. You see, Jake had a heart attack on Oct. 22, 2020. He has been very outspoken about his experience and promoting heart health and awareness. Jake was nice enough to meet with me and allow me to share his thoughts with you.
On Oct. 22, 2020, Jake went out to eat with friends and felt extreme tightness in his chest and was sweating profusely. He was sure at the time it was a heart attack and had his friend drive him directly to the hospital.
Not long after, Doctor Benjamin Maatman confirmed what Jake was fearing. It was in fact a heart attack. The one they call the “widowmaker.” Jake is a person who eats right and takes care of his body, but there is a history of heart conditions in his family, so he has always been aware of the possibility of something going wrong. I asked if he had any warning signs leading up to the event.
“Nothing specifically that I recall; however, I do remember, like a week before I had [the heart attack], I was on the treadmill, and I remember my hand tingling. I’ve always been so hyper aware that my risk factors could lead to a heart attack, and I was like, man is that what that is? In hindsight, it wasn’t. I think I had a pinched nerve. A part of the way I know that is because you always hear about getting a tingling in your arm [before a heart attack]. When I really did feel [the heart attack], I realize now that if you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to ride out a hurricane in Florida, you can’t look back on a spring shower in April and go, oh, that’s what I thought it was.”
IndyCar announcer Jake Query (right) and his cardiologist Dr. Benjamin Maatman. (Photo provided by Jake Query)
We continued our conversation, and I brought up the fact that it happened to him in 2020. With heavy sarcasm, I mentioned how wonderful of a year that was. Jake’s response surprised me.
“I actually think 2020 was the best year of my life. The third day of the year, I interrupted an armed robbery at a gas station at two o’clock in the morning. The next morning, I got laid off. COVID happened three months later, and in October, I had a heart attack. But it was the first time of my life that I was ever forced to just step back and inventory my life and find out what was important and what wasn’t.”
I went on to ask him how his experience changed his life.
“What it changed for me was, my ‘somedays’ are tomorrow … I used to be the kind of guy that’s like, my bucket list is this. Someday I want to see that. Someday I want to do this. [Now] I’m like, I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to do those things, so if I’ve got the opportunity, I’m going for it.”
Also, “one thing I was most aware of was you definitely have a survivor guilt. There’s a lot of people that go into that room and never make it out … so because of that, when I left that room, I knew I had a responsibility. I can’t decline the opportunity, if anybody asks me to talk about it, to share my story to make people aware.”
As we sat and talked, I looked over at Jake’s salad, then down at my chicken wings and beer. The irony did not escape me. So, I thought that might be a good time to ask him if he had any layperson heart advice for people of any age (especially a 40-something like me).
“Your heart doesn’t want to stop. Your heart is your friend and is working for you. So you got to ask yourself, are you a good friend to it? [Your heart] is probably the most low-maintenance friend you have. It doesn’t have a lot of requests. It doesn’t like to be lazy and likes to be challenged. So, challenge it a couple times a week, even if it’s just walking around the neighborhood. It doesn’t like smoke, so try not to feed it any. Everything in moderation. If your heart is trying to tell you something, listen to it, don’t be afraid. Get a heart scan to see whether or not you’ve got some blockage or buildup in your heart.
“The most important thing is, if you feel you have symptoms, don’t try to be a hero. Don’t be a tough guy. And if you think you’re really having a heart attack, call an ambulance [and] don’t try driving. Be transparent with what you’re feeling.”
During our dinner, Jake also put me in contact with his cardiologist from Community Heart and Vascular Hospital, Dr. Benjamin Maatman. I reached out to him for any heart advice he might like to share, and he graciously returned my email.
“Prevention is the best medicine. Schedule an annual visit with a physician. Self-doctoring is dangerous. Family history is very significant but can be attenuated with healthy habits and modern medicine. Habits can be changed, just look at the Detroit Lions.”
He followed that up with an abbreviated version of general tips his gives all his new patients:
- Activity every day. At least 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise per week.
- Have a formal exercise plan. Step trackers or personal trainers help with objective goals.
- Eat healthy. I recommend a Mediterranean or DASH diet.
- Drink mostly water. Avoid soda and juices. Water and flavored water (with lemon or cucumber, etc.) are the best way to hydrate.
- If you smoke, stop smoking.
- Check blood pressure routinely.
As I left that dinner, I had the sudden urge to run home instead of drive. Then I thought the 10-mile hike at 8:30 p.m. on a cold January night might be a little excessive. Maybe I’ll just start with that heart scan.
The moral of the story is … if someone loves your heart, so should you.
Tim Rathz can be reached at 40somethinginfishers@gmail.com. Follow on Facebook or Instagram.
What a great and informative article! Thank you so much for writing this!
You are a fantastic writer. My husband is a huge IMS fan and loves Query. Thanks for the awareness.