Kaua’i stroke survivor Scotty Sagum felt lucky to join about 100 people in the American Heart Association’s walk through Lihu’e yesterday. Sagum said the event enable him to further educate Kauaians about the need for low-fat diets and exercise to
Kaua’i stroke survivor Scotty Sagum felt lucky to join about 100 people in the American Heart Association’s walk through Lihu’e yesterday.
Sagum said the event enable him to further educate Kauaians about the need for low-fat diets and exercise to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the nation and Kaua’i.
A 1993 stroke victim, Sagum said he is moving toward a full recovery with the help of the Kaua’i branch of the AHA, which has provided him with support, information on healthier living and opportunities for inspirational talks to residents.
“One of my missions is to try to do something so that as few people as possible will go through what I went through,” said Sagum, who attributes his stroke to a fatty diet and hypertension.
The AHA in Hawai’i strives to educate residents on how to reduce their risks of heart disease and stroke.
“Our mission is to reduce death and disability due to cardiovascular disease and strokes,” said Cathy Shanks, division director for the Kaua’i branch of the AHA.
The key message behind the walk was that “exercise is fun and that exercise will strengthen the heart, a muscle, and take care of us,” Shanks said.
Sagum, who made the walk with his wife, son and a friend from Germany, was a triathlete 20 years ago.
He had competed in the IronMan contest on the Big Island in 1981 and 1982 , put himself through grueling workouts and felt “invincible.”
Sagum said his stroke on Nov. 30, 1993 humbled him and changed his life forever.
Prior to the stroke, he knew he had hypertension, but didn’t seek treatment.
Sagum was treated for the stroke at Wilcox Hospital and at the Rehab of the Pacific on Oahu, leaving in March 1994 and returning home to Kauai.
Sagum, a 49-year-old resort manager, said he didn’t know what life had in store for him.
The Kaua’i branch of the AHA heard about Sagum’s situation and sent representatives to his home offering support.
“They were extremely instrumental in orienting me and my family back to a normal life,” Sagum said.
The organization referred his family to public assistance programs and support groups and provided volumes of information on healthier diets and exercise, Sagum said.
The organization also provided him a public platform from which he could tell his story about his life before and after the stroke and what efforts can be taken to achieve a healthy lifestyle, Sagum said.
“Many people have come back to me and thanked me for helping them to want to lead healthier lives,” Sagum said.
Today, Sagum said he continues to exercise and has adopted a modified, low-fat Hawaiian diet, which includes consumption of less meat and poi.
Sagum has remained connected with the Kaua’i branch of the AHA for the last nine years and currently serves as a board member.
Betty Measel of Kapa’a, the mother of Bob Measel Jr., who ran unsuccessfully for governor in Hawai’i in 1990, joined the Kaua’i branch of the AHA after successful open heart surgery in 1993.
Measel, 74, said the organization’s support has helped extend her life. At the organization’s suggestion, Measel adopted a fat-free diet and exercise regimen.
Measel said the need for heart surgery came as a surprise to her because she had been in good health and “never had a reason to see a doctor.”
In December 1992, she found herself unable to sleep. “Every now or then I felt I was not getting any oxygen,” Measel said. “I found out later my lungs were filled with fluid.”
Following tests at Wilcox Hospital, a cardiologist told her that unless she had a heart valve replaced, she would be dead in a year.
In 1993, she underwent a surgery in which her aortic value was replaced by a mechanical valve, which pumps blood through the heart. Measel said she also had a pacemaker implanted to send signals to pump her heart.
“Everything has been humming along since then,” Measel said. “My cardiologist now says I will probably live to be 100.”
Measel said she might not be alive today if not for the heart research funds raised by the AHA.
“My mother had the same symptoms, but she passed away because they didn’t know how to detect such problems then or how to cure them,” Measel said.
Measel served as board chairwoman of the Kaua’i branch of the AHA in 1998 and 2000.
From yesterday’s walk, Shanks said she hopes to raise $20,000 for cholesterol screening, blood pressure, cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes and cooking demonstrations.
The AHA of Hawai’i invests approximately a half-million dollars annually to support medical researchers, work Shanks said could lead to the development of more effective treatments and prevention strategies.
The state organization serves as voice for community concerns in Washington D.C.
Web: www.americanheart.org/hi
