It's been several years since he got the call, but to this day he remembers exactly what was said on the other end of the line.

"My mom called me crying," said Seaman William Walsh, a Sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). "My grandfather had a heart attack a few hours earlier."
Walsh's grandfather was 78 years old at the time. He had high blood pressure and smoked regularly.

"His doctor told my mom that he had a 50 percent chance of recovery," he said. "If it wasn't for his friend performing CPR, the doctor said my grandfather wouldn't have made it at all."

After nearly losing his life, his grandfather had to make some big changes in his life, said Walsh. He talked to his doctor about how to lower his risk of having another heart attack.

"They came up with a plan for my grandfather to quit smoking," said Walsh. "He cut a lot of sodium from his diet and lost a little bit of weight. He even cut back on his drinking."

His grandfather did a lot of things to make his health a priority, he said.

"He's still around," said Walsh. "Hopefully, he'll be around for a few more years."

For Walsh's grandfather, the heart attack was a wakeup call, and motivated him to make appropriate lifestyle changes so he could live a longer life. At any moment, another GW Sailor could receive a similar call and be faced with losing a loved one.
The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body, but it's also one of the most complicated.

On their website, (heartfoundation.org), the National Heart Foundation states that heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It is also one of the most preventable. Making heart-healthy choices, knowing your family health history, the risk factors for heart disease, having regular check-ups and working with your physician to manage your health are all integral aspects of saving lives from this all too often silent killer.

Sailors should be proactive when it comes to their heart health and encourage family members to do the same, by adopting a more active and healthier lifestyle.

For more information about heart health, visit www.heart.org.

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For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit http://www.navy.mil/.