A grim reminder....

The sudden and unexpected demise of a colleague from work has shocked many people. No one seems to know the exact cause of death, but a death at a relatively young age of 52, normally points to either accident-related death or heart-related problems. I had seen the deceased taking part in many of the Work Life Balance (WLB) activites at work; be it running, hiking or hill climbing. The deceased seemed to be an active and fit person, but his death brought home the message that even if you think and look fit, death could just come anytime.

According to the Health Information Booklet 2006, produced by the Ministry of Health, heart disease was the second most common cause of death in Brunei after cancer. Hypertensive diseases was the fifth most common cause of death.

As far as I know, we do not have a family history of heart problems. However my mother died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 60 and it somehow made me think differently now. On her death certificate, her cause of death was heart failure. My Mom was not a fan of the hospital. I could not remember if she was ever admitted to the hospital. All her sixteen children were born at home; something that does not happen anymore nowadays. The only times that she would go to the hospital were for pre- and ante-natal checkups. There were times when I asked myself whether we could have spotted her meduical problems if we had taken her for her medical checkups. I really could not answer that and there is no point to dwell on that question anymore; at this time, we learn from our past and make sure that we look after ourselves.

In the past few days, the Lunchgang have been talking about keeping healthy, ironically during lunch. Meals should not be skipped, rather we should keep it in moderation. Do not forget to exercise. Spare some time, albeit half an hour per week, to exercise. And it does not have to be strenuous; for example, rather than going around the Mall many times trying to find that elusive parking spot right in front of the entrance, park your car at the Wet Market and walk to the Mall.

Read more about heart diseases here.