April 22, 2013
My father passed away from SCAD a couple of months ago. He was 59 years young, and extremely healthy. Very tragic and unexpected, as he left behind a wonderful family, wife of 38 years, 3 children (including myself), daughter in law, and two grandchildren.
On the night of February 5th my mother found him in the kitchen in cardiac arrest. We spent a couple days in the hospital, and he eventually passed on February 8th. At the time all we knew is it was some form of heart failure, but his angiogram showed no blockage, so doctors didn’t have an answer. We were all left very shocked and confused, as my father was a very healthy man. He was active, exercised regularly, didn’t smoke, drink, ate healthy, and went to the doctor often for physicals. There was never any indication of heart issues.
A week or so ago we got the autopsy results back, indicating the cause of death was SCAD. Myself and siblings are now being tested to see if there are any genetic links, as my grandfather (my father’s father) passed away at age 61 of heart disease. Not sure if there’s any correlation, as my grandfather had several heart attacks, but didn’t live a healthy lifestyle.
We will be tested soon to see if there is any connective tissue disorders that may be genetic. It’s tragic to think that there are so many people hurt by this condition, and scary to think how it will hurt so many others in the future. I do find it comforting to know an organization like this is helping create more awareness. We as a family would like to do anything and everything possible to help with research and create awareness.
Please let me know what we can do to help…Steve R.