Director Kevin Smith suffers heart attack

After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka “the Widow-Maker”). If I hadn’t canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I would’ve died tonight. But for now, I’m still above ground! pic.twitter.com/M5gSnW9E5h

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 26, 2018

Still above ground

The American filmmaker Kevin Smith tweeted early Monday that the he had survived a “massive heart attack” over the weekend.

The 47-year old tweeted a picture of himself from a hospital bed. He was covered in tubes. The man known for championing Clerks and Chasing Amy, had a stand-up show the night before and was due to perform another show, but he cancelled.

“After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack,” he tweeted. “The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka “the Widow-Maker”). If I hadn’t canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I would’ve died tonight. But for now, I’m still above ground!”

Thank you God.

Actor, Sean Francis tweeted “I keep reading this in shock. Damn. It’s an understatement to say, but myself and so many others are glad you cancelled and are recovering. Sending love to you and yours.”

Heart attacks can happen at any age, really

We think heart attacks are something old people get. But it’s not so. Apparently, the risk for men having a heart attack goes up when they turn 45. For ladies, the up-factor age is 55. But, like Smith, heart attacks can happen at any time.

While eating better, maintaining good blood pressure and not smoking might shrink the possibility, sometimes, it’s not enough.

Sopranos’ actor James Gandolfini, 51, died from one in 2013. Michael Clarke Duncan died from a heart attack at 54. Sage Stallone, son of actor Sylvester Stallone, died of atherosclerosis. His condition brought on a heart attack. He was 36.

Coronary calcium scan

There’s more work to be done in regards to finding out who is most at risk of a heart attack.

“More often than not, the first symptom of heart disease could be heart attack,” said Alan Ackermann, a cardiologist in Miami, said. “That is a huge gap in the profession that we’re still dealing with.”

In a study, it showed that a test called a coronary calcium scan can be effective in predicting the risk. This scan identifies specks of calcium in the arterial walls. These are signs of an early sign of plaque buildup. Ackermann recommends it for women as young as 50 and for men 45 and older. But if your family has history of heart disease, they say it’s best to start even earlier in the forties.

Check out these scary stats. 1.2 million test results show that majority of people – 64 per cent – with a heart ten years older than their actual age are male. Every month 7,400 people die from heart disease or stroke. A quarter of deaths are of people under 75.

How healthy is your heart? Take the test.

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