"A lot of people would have ignored those symptoms; don't do that" - Todd Woodbridge urges people to be vigilant after suffering mild heart attack
Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge has urged people to be vigilant about their health and not ignore symptoms after suffering a mild heart attack during a routine workout at home.
The 51-year-old, one half of the legendary Woodies doubles team of himself and Mark Woodforde, leads an active lifestyle. He works out regularly, both at home and while doing commentary at tournaments around the world.
While working out at home on Thursday, the 22-time Grand Slam winner felt a heavy pressing sensation in his chest, making him short of breath and 'pale white'. He told Wide World of Sports:
"I'd done a bit of a warm-up, started to do some weights, and I got a bit of a feeling, like one finger being pushed into the middle of my chest. I tried to shake it out, like you do sometimes, thinking it's come from working out, but it wouldn't go away. It started to spread across my chest. It wasn't pain; it was like a heavy pressing. I was short of breath, got the sweats, I felt nausea which made me go pale white."
Woodbridge said that his wife, Natasha, wanted to call an ambulance but they instead visited a local hospital as it was a 'big enough' episode.
"She was going to call an ambulance, but instead we went straight to our local hospital. I knew it wasn't just something minor. It was a big enough episode that I knew I needed to go to hospital. But I think a lot of people will just think, it will be right. Don't do that, for heaven's sake," he said.
Urging people not to ignore these symptoms, he continued:
"Thirty minutes later I felt OK, but my bloodwork showed I'd had a mild heart attack. A lot of people would have ignored those symptoms. Don't do that; you've got to get on top of it."
Over the course of the tests, the former doubles player realised that he had overlooked his family's history of high cholesterol, saying:
"One of the things that really stood out when I was going through all my tests is that I had really high cholesterol. I sort of knew I would have that, but I hadn't done anything about it over the last couple of years. That's the thing a lot of people have been doing; they've just been putting it off, thinking they'll be right.
Admitting that he should have been 'smart enough' not to ignore genetics, Woodbridge added:
"I should have been on top of that. Genetics plays a major part in everyone's health, but people are ignoring the fact they can get on top of their own issues by being proactive. We're not being smart enough."
"I feel like I manage my workloads well" - Todd Woodbridge
While Todd Woodbridge has a pretty busy lifestyle, he stated that he doesn't find that stressful. However, he has no qualms about admitting that he should have kept tabs on his cholesterol levels.
"I'm busy, but I like being busy. A lot of people have said that I do a lot of stuff, and my reaction is yes, but I don't find that stressful. I like it. I feel like I manage my workloads well. I would have said I probably let myself down by not knowing where my cholesterol levels were, not knowing what I could have been doing. "If I'd have been on top of it 12 months ago, I probably wouldn't have had this episode."
Woodbridge added that he will do regular health check-ups to prevent a recurrence, saying:
"I'll certainly be doing all my check-ups. I've got one in three weeks, in three months, in six months and in 12 months. I'll be monitoring what's happening a lot more closely."
Urging people to do regular health check-ups for their family and friends and not procrastinate, he said:
"The message is don't put off what you've been saying you'll do. ... The most important thing to remember is you need to do it not just for yourself, but for your family and your friends. They are the ones who'll take it hard if something does happen."
While Woodbridge survived, another 50-plus Australian legend - former cricketer Shane Warne - was not so lucky. The 52-year-old died of cardiac failure while on holiday in Thailand earlier this year.