Don’s story started when he was assigned to Aker Kvaerner's Bownfields Mine Expansion Project, in Perth, for 15 months. The project was demanding and he was working long hours and living in a hotel only metres from the office. After 5 months, he started to feel the effects of this lifestyle.
“During this time I worked hard, ate whatever was on the hotel menu and slept,” he said. “I didn’t make time for exercise and I started to feel sluggish and unwell.”
“I have always valued health and fitness so in an effort to change my situation, I found an apartment to rent, started cooking my own food and started walking for an hour every day. I began to feel better.”
What Don didn’t realise was that 5 months of hotel food had raised his cholesterol to dangerous levels. His body started to give warning signals but he dismissed the indigestion-like symptoms. A few months later, he awoke to strong pain and took himself to a local medical centre for tests. On seeing the results of his electrocardiogram the doctor requested an urgent transfer to Royal Perth Hospital where further tests revealed that Don’s main coronary artery was 99.9% blocked with cholesterol.
Emergency surgery was successful and Aker Kvaerner's Estimating Manager has recovered well and is back on the job.
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