A Day In The Life: Heart Disease

Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada, and more than 2.4 million Canadians living with heart disease aged 20 years or older. However, if you’re living with heart disease there are many things you can do to each day to improve your health.

Marlon Suffered From Heart Disease

Share Lawyers spoke with Marlon, a client and sufferer of heart disease, about what his life was like before and after his diagnosis. We hope his experience can help to showcase the steps anyone can take to live a healthy life after heart disease.

Marlon suffered a heart attack when he was just 39 years old. He worked in middle management of a large distribution company. Before his heart attack, he lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle and was a lifelong smoker. One weekend, he was in the kitchen washing the dishes when he began to feel dizzy, started to sweat, and felt a pressure in his arms and chest. After his wife called 9-1-1, he was rushed to the hospital where the doctors deduced he was having a heart attack. He was quickly taken to the OR and underwent bypass surgery that saved his life.

When Marlon first awoke after the surgery, he couldn’t believe this was happening to him. He was scared about what his future looked like, and realized he would need to make some changes to how he was leading his life.

Marlon Saw Benefits When He Quit Smoking

To quit smoking, Marlon started using an app on his phone to track his progress and liked seeing not only what benefits there were to his health, but also how much money he was saving!

He’s on a course of medications: ACE Inhibitors, diuretics, and potassium. After he takes his pills they make him a little woozy - he takes the time for guided meditation after he takes his pills to help make him feel better.

Marlon used to love a fried egg and bacon breakfast, especially going to the diner down the street, but now he and his wife have integrated more heart healthy foods into their diets and this morning he enjoys grapefruit, and egg white asparagus omelette and baked sweet potato “home fries.”

Exercises To Lower Heart Rate

His wife drives him twice a week to an outpatient cardiac rehab centre where he works with Sally, who gives him exercises to lower his heart rate and strengthen his overall heart health. He was overweight before he had his heart attack, and now has lost 35 pounds.

The rehab program also provides counseling, which Marlon was hesitant to attend at first-- what does talking about his feelings have to do with his heart attack? But now he’s grateful for this time, as it’s hard to talk to his family and friends about how such a major medical event lead him to feel “weak” and scared and he appreciates the space to be able to open up.

When Marlon leaves the rehab centre he always walks by a hot dog cart and the aroma of the street meat is so tempting! But he knows that it’s the daily choices about living healthy that will make him live longer, although his wife promises he can have one on his birthday.

Lifestyle Changes Have Led To A Happier Life

Before Marlon had his heart attack, he didn’t pay too much attention to his health and generally didn’t sleep well which made him tired and occasionally irritable, and joked that he was an old man before his time. The recent changes in his lifestyle have led him to a happier life. All of the changes he made are relatively small, but his friends, family, and co-workers see the difference in Marlon. He’s generally in a good mood, looks healthy, and is more engaged and focussed in his relationships.

Marlon’s been able to take this time to focus on his well being while getting long-term disability benefits from his employer. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if he was forced to go back to work or live without the support.

If you or a loved one is recovering or living with heart disease, remember there are things that you can do to ensure your most optimal health. Like Marlon, making small changes to your routine can make all the difference.

Has your long-term disability claim been denied? Contact Share Lawyers and put our experience to work for you. We offer free consultations and there are no fees unless we win your case. Find out if you have a disability case.

We have recently settled cases against Great West Life, Desjardins, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Sun Life, and much more. We love hearing feedback from our clients, so please share your own experience with us.

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A note from our long term disability lawyers

Taking a medical leave from work is not an easy decision to make. Concerns about providing for yourself and your family and keeping your job may cause you to want to push through your pain, but this won’t make your problems go away. Stopping work is often the smartest decision for your long term health and well-being, and your disability benefits are there to provide you with financial support until you can return to work.

If you have made the tough decision to stop working and apply for your short term disability or long term disability benefits, you may feel overwhelmed by the process and have questions that your employer and your insurance company are not able or willing to answer. Share is There to see you through and answer your questions.

Our Disability law firm knows what you have been going through

We understand that things have not been easy for you over the last little while. Your health has been suffering, you are unable to work, and now your insurance company, who was supposed to be there in your time of need, has decided they will not pay your disability benefits or respect your disability claim. These benefits exist to provide you with the financial support you need so that you can focus on your health and rebuilding your life. It is unfortunate that your insurance company has not lived up to its promise. If your disability claim has been denied, we will fight to get you the benefits you are entitled to. Our disability lawyers have helped thousands of Canadians get their long term disability benefits over the past 35 years, and we can help you too.

Our experienced disability lawyers can fight back on your behalf

Share Lawyers believes that every client who is dealing with a disability claim deserves superior personal service. To achieve that goal, we have developed our team of experienced, compassionate, and caring long term disability lawyers, law clerks, and administrative staff to meet all of your needs. Our team of experienced long term disability, life insurance, employment, and critical illness insurance lawyers have made successful claims against many insurance companies, third-party administrators and employers.

If you are unable to work, your disability benefits should be there to provide you with the financial support you need. While your insurance company may be focused on finding ways to avoid paying your claim, our focus is on what is in your best interest. When Share Lawyers gets involved, you have an entire team of lawyers that are there to support you and to fight for what is yours.

Our disability claim lawyers fight for your disability insurance claim by relying on our many years of experience to apply the best strategic planning and approach in each case, using the latest technology available. Experience matters, and with Share Lawyers, you are in the best hands with 35 years of success on your side.

In this video, we explain the role of a long term disability lawyer and how we can support you when you have been denied your long term disability benefits.