My dad is part of a motorcycle club, I forget what the name of their club is but most of them are veterans and/or still in the military. And so, most of my dad’s time is spent working on his Harley or at the club house where everyone gets together and parties, basically. I guess they had a mandatory meeting of some sorts in Kentucky over the weekend and when they arrived back home in Kansas, one of their guys dropped dead of a heart attack – literally. This guy, nicknamed Red, I never had the chance to meet but I knew my dad was very close to him. My dad said that his wife mentioned that he felt funny the week prior but didn’t really think anything of it, he went to Kentucky did what they did, and was driving my dad’s truck back to the clubhouse. He made it inside and as soon as he sat down, he had a heart attack. My dad and another of the guys gave him CPR and was able to keep him alive until the EMS arrived, and they were able to keep him alive until they reached the hospital but the doctor said his heart basically exploded.

I feel awful for his family because he has younger kids, for my dad because he was really close to him, and for the Veterans club because they are all family. Red was 43…the same age as my dad, and my dad at 43 takes medication to hopefully prevent a heart attack from happening since my grand father (his dad) died fairly young from a sudden heart attack. I guess when I really think about it in those terms, Red being the same age as my dad, fairly healthy etc. that things can happen in an instance without reason or signs…of course, Red should have gone to the doctor if he “felt weird” the following week but most of us don’t go to the doctor unless it’s absolutely serious or necessary, just goes to show you that you should listen to your body and your gut if you feel that something isn’t quite right.

My prays go out to the people effected by his sudden passing, and while he may not be around to participate in motorcycle events like the one in Kentucky, buy Harley parts for the bikes, or spend time with his family and friends at the club house – he’s still with them where ever they go.