Only The Good Die Young
“Only The Good Die Young” these were the words written by a prisoner to my mum when he heard my dad had died. Dad was working as prison guard at the time and had built such a respect from the prisoners that mum was inundated with cards, gifts and flowers to show their to respect for a man that should have still be locking them away at the end of each day.
Dad had suffered a massive heart attack and was dead before hitting the ground. On Tuesday 24th June it will be the anniversary of dad’s death.
Why do I share this with you? Well in the last 12 months several of my friends dad’s have suffered heart attacks. Every 10 minutes in Australian someone is suffering a heart attack. That is pretty regular if you ask me!
I had just had my 21st and thought my life was just beginning not knowing that a life was just about to end. The day dad died, (divested is not even close to how I felt) hearing those words over the phone, Rochelle you need to come home dad has died, rings in my mind still. I was my dad’s little girl, the baby of the family. Dad and I had shared so much together good times and the bad and now that was gone.
People ask me why I do what I do. It’s not about the money, at the end of the day if I can give you 1 more year with your dad because he started to look after his health then that’s 1 year more then you would have had. I would give anything to have 1 more day with my dad let alone another year.
No one knows when his or her time is up however isn’t it important that you can do what you can to ensure that you can maximize what is left? Would you rather sit on the couch and complain about your health and yell at your kids because you’re stressed and tired or have the energy to sleep better, relax and go and play with your kids? The choice is yours really!
Can you look your kids in their eyes and look into your wife’s eye and honestly say to them I have given it my best? The most heartbreaking thing for me as a woman is not having my dad to walk me down the aisle. One of the biggest days in a woman’s life and not having my dad by my side I never could have imagined that. Dad was always going to be there, right?
The day my dad died my sister was pregnant with her third child. This was going to be my dad’s 5th Grandchild, I guess you are thinking well he saw 4 of them, and yes that’s correct what’s missing is that this was the first Grandson. Now for a man having a son let alone a grandson is the most amazing feeling in the world. The bond between sons is something a daughter can never capture, don’t get me wrong I was closer to my dad then anything the point is a male bond between father and son is one where a dad can help mould his boy into a man he'll be proud of.
Until you have a son of your own... you will never know the joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son. ~ Kent Nerburn
Belinda (my sister) had told dad he was getting a Grandson, he was so chuffed, and there was a twinkle in his eye. Dad was a mad footy player and he already had pictured himself playing hours on end of football with Brad.
Dad was so proud telling anyone who would listen that he had a grandson on the way. It breaks my heart that he never got to meet Brad and live a dream of playing football with his grandson.
Heart Attack Facts For Men In Australia
- 14 Australian men die from a heart attack every day.
- 4 Australian men have a heart attack every hour.
- 1 man dies of a heart attack every 2 hours in Australia.
- Each day, 98 men have a heart attack.
- If you are male, 40 and live in Australia, your chance of having a heart attack by the age of 70 years is one in two.
Honestly if you cannot do it for yourself do it for your family!
This week please consider doing the following because this could be the one chance you have to stop being the "1 out of 2 who suffer a heart attack":
1) Book a Check up
2) Review your diet
3) Get Active
4) Cut back on smoking
5) Review your families medical history
Heart disease may be a leading cause of death, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it as your fate. You can avoid heart problems in the future by adopting a healthy lifestyle today.
'Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder
will remain with me forever''.
Good Health Begins At Home
Rochelle