Heart attack survivor learns to take charge of his health, and teaches others to do so too
- Diet changes, outdoor exercise and stress management are key to preventing a health crisis, Hong Kong executive coach Mathew Gomes says
When Mathew Gomes started experiencing chest pain one night in April in 2022, he recognised it as a sign of a heart attack. He rushed himself to Hong Kong’s Ruttonjee Hospital, where doctors had to work through the night to stabilise him.
He had an angioplasty the next day; a type of balloon was used to stretch open his blocked arteries, and stents – short wire mesh tubes – were inserted to allow blood to flow through them more freely.
The Mayo Clinic in the United States says a heart attack occurs when “the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked”, and that having poor metabolic health can increase the “risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes”.
Over the next few months, he made significant lifestyle changes, such as altering his diet, doing regular exercise, and better managing his stress levels and his emotional well-being.
A year later, the blockages in his arteries had reversed, his body fat was reduced from 28 per cent to 13 per cent (it is now at 10 per cent) and his weight had fallen from 75kg (165 pounds) to 62kg.
