COLUMBUS, Ohio — "I thought I was pretty healthy actually. This was quite a surprise."
For Jeffrey Goodman, 55, that surprise was a heart attack.
“I wasn't doing anything strenuous,” he said.
Over the summer he was mowing his lawn on a ride-on mower when felt chest pain but brushed it off. When he felt the pain a second time and broke out in a full body sweat, he called 911.
He had a heart attack.
"I think it was a surprise to him as it is for a lot of people who do try to take care of themselves,” said Dr. Laura Flannery, an interventional cardiologist with OhioHealth and Goodman's doctor.
Part of his recovery she said includes focusing on a balanced diet. She said this is a tough time of year for people who are trying to keep their heart health in mind.
“I always tell my patients the number one thing is balance you know,” she said. “They don't have to completely restrict from everything that they like to do but it is important to just be in moderation and realize there's a lot of food that's highly processed, highly salted, high in cholesterol and you want to minimize what you're eating."
Goodman loves sweets, but now enjoys them in moderation.
"You don't think it's going to be you,” he said. "I was caught off guard because I had no indications of any trouble until that day."