Sadly, Michael Clarke Duncan, the star of the movie The Green Mile, died earlier this week after suffering a massive heart attack. Duncan was only 54 years old at the time of his death, and suffered the heart attack on July 13. He struggled to stay alive at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. for several weeks before his passing.
Duncan lived with a passion for life, and once said in an interview with Men's Health magazine: "I don't regret what's happened and I don't worry about what I don't have. I just do what's in front of me." He also told Men's Health that "my mother used to tell me, as long as I can remember, something that's on my license plate now: YCDA–you can do anything." Duncan's words remind us that we can do anything–that his death can be a lesson to safeguard our lives.
Heart disease is the number 1 killer of men. However, there are several simple steps that you can take to help prevent a heart attack:
- Drink two cups of coffee per day. People who did this had an 11% lower chance of heart failure than those who didn't in one study conducted by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
- Ask your dad how your grandparents died, and when. If you had a relative who died before the age of 60 from a heart-related complication, your chances of having the same thing happen is about 60%. Make sure to visit your doctor regularly, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight.
- Have a glass half-full attitude. Believe it or not, optimists are 50% less likely to have a heart attack than pessimists.
For other heart attack prevention tips, you can read more. While Duncan has gone on to a better place, he leaves us with inspirational words and a great lesson to cherish our health and lives.
