DENVER - All across the country people were seeing red on Friday and that's a good thing. It's Go Red Day with the purpose of educating people on heart disease. This is the story of how I lost my best friend, without warning.
One week ago, Joe Leslie thought he was a healthy 41-year-old man with lots of life to live.
One week ago, he was a sales manager at the Colorado Convention Center and a singer in a local band.
He was the best man at my wedding. He was my best friend.
One week ago, we were supposed to have lunch at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I couldn't make it. I thought we could just push it off to another day. I was wrong.
Joe was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure, but he never thought he had a serious heart issue. He was pretty active. Joe loved to ski. He loved to hike and camp in the mountains.
One week ago, Joe was driving along Interstate 70 when he started having chest pains for the first time in his life. He drove himself to an urgent care in Lakewood.
Doctors immediately transferred him to St. Anthony Central Hospital. While in the emergency room, Joe had a serious heart attack. Doctors tried valiantly to save him. They couldn't.
In just a matter of hours, Joe went from having his first-ever chest pains to dying in the ER.
One week ago, he was Uncle Joe to my two daughters. One week ago, we were supposed to take my youngest girl skiing for our annual "my two dads" day on the mountain.
One week later, it's Joe's wake and funeral.
February is American Heart Month. This isn't just a campaign. Watching your cholesterol or blood pressure isn't just sound advice. Establishing a good exercise routine is not just a good idea. It can save your life.
If you ever thought, "It can't happen to me, I'm healthy," Joe thought that, too. If there's anything to learn about Joe's death, any one week can be your last.
For more information about heart disease, visit www.heart.org.
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)