‘ Take Action ’ : Dave McGillivray ’s Message To Anyone Ignoring Symptoms Of Heart Disease

BOSTON (CBS) – There aren’t many people who run their age in miles every year. Dave McGillivray does. From the time he was a boy, he’s celebrated his good health and love of running with a personal challenge that obviously gets more challenging with age. His last “full” birthday run was last year: 63 miles. This year, by necessity, he split the effort into 32 miles of running and 32 miles of biking. A feat, to be sure. But this year, he is facing a challenge for which there is no training. McGillivray, arguably one of the most fit people on the planet, has coronary artery disease and is preparing to undergo triple bypass surgery as Mass General Hospital. “I just didn’t want it. It’s a ding in the armor,” McGillivray explained to WBZ’s Lisa Hughes in his home office. “That wasn’t in the playbook.” It also wasn’t entirely a surprise. “My two grandfathers died of heart failure. My father had aortic stenosis and five bypasses. My sister just had triple bypass. My brother had a stroke. And my other brother has a stent. It’s like… hello! It’s in the genes.” Dave McGillivray (WBZ-TV) McGillivray had a scare five years ago when he started feeling chest discomfort and experiencing a shortness of breath when he ran. He worked with Dr. Aaron Baggish, founder of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Mass General (who also treated McGillivray’s father) and discovered that several of the main arteries around his heart were blocked. The re...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Health Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Dave McGillivray Lisa Hughes Mass General Hospital Source Type: news