Six bypasses. A diagnosis with no easy fix. A vacation we lost a week before we left. Here's the honest, unedited timeline — and the mug that turned "what's the use" into "what's next."
I'm Gene. Some folks call me Lewy. Air Force veteran. Married 37 years. Six kids. Seven grandkids. And three years ago, at 53, I had six bypasses.
I went in expecting one stent. I came out with six bypasses.
Here's the part I don't skip over, because it matters: before all of it, my doctor wanted me on a statin for my cholesterol. I never took it. Looking back, I believe that decision is what let the blockages build up in the first place.
I'm not telling you this so you feel sorry for me. I'm telling you because somewhere out there, someone reading this has their own prescription sitting in a drawer, unfilled, telling themselves they'll get to it later. I was that guy. Hindsight is 20/20 — but I'd rather you learn from mine than from your own.
Not a straight line. Not a highlight reel. This is what actually happened.
My doctor wanted me on a statin for cholesterol. I never took it. I believe that's what let the blockages build.
Went in for what I thought was a stress test and a stent. Came out of surgery with six bypasses instead.
Finished cardiac rehab, walked every day, started at the gym. Weight was coming down. Still on the medications from discharge — including colchicine. When that prescription ran out, I felt good. I thought that was the finish line.
A virus was going around — never formally diagnosed as anything specific. Back pain across my shoulders, trouble breathing. I thought I'd shake it off. Ended up in the ER, then admitted. Ultrasound and testing found inflammation in the lining around my heart. Colchicine, restarted.
At a regular physical, my numbers looked great. My doctor knew I didn't want to be on medication long-term and asked if I wanted to try stopping the colchicine. I said yes.
One week before a trip out west — tickets bought, everything set — I was back in the hospital. They monitored a hormone marker doctors watch for signs of a heart attack until it came back down. Colchicine restarted, plus ibuprofen for flare-ups. We lost that trip.
Still on colchicine. I keep ibuprofen on hand for the days I feel that familiar bloated warning sign. I'd like to get off the medication eventually — but I know now that happens through weight and inflammation coming down, not by wishing.
I could handle being knocked down by my own body once. Handling it three separate times — especially right when we were finally supposed to get away — that's when I hit a place I'd call "what's the use." I'm not a man who talks about things like depression easily. But that's what it was, even if I didn't want to name it at the time.
This Father's Day, my granddaughter gave me a coffee mug. Nothing fancy — just a mug with "Papa Fuel" on it. I don't know why exactly, but holding that cup was the moment something shifted. Maybe it was seeing my own name — my role, Papa — turned into something that sounded like fuel instead of a diagnosis. Maybe it was just a good day at the right time, from the right person.
Either way, that's the moment "what's the use" started turning into "what's next."
I started drinking LiveGood's Super Greens, Super Reds, and Factor 4 daily — the reds for nitric oxide and blood flow, Factor 4 for the fish oil, turmeric, and CoQ10. Not because a product fixes anything by itself, but because it's part of a system I can actually stick to every day, alongside eating better and staying active.
I evaluate systems for a living. That's not just my job — it's how my mind works. So when I looked at what it would actually take to build a healthier life and a little financial breathing room — without more debt, more hours away from my family, or more empty promises — I built Save Live Grow around three things I could actually control: saving money, living better, and growing income — in that order, because health comes first.
You were designed for more than just getting by. I believe that. Not because it's a slogan, but because I spent three years finding my way back to believing it about myself.
Whether it's the health scare, the "what's the use" days, or just wanting something more out of the time you've got left — I'd like to walk that road with you. No pressure. No pitch. Just the same honest system I use myself, every day.
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