"....He had no known heart issues and was under doctor's care at the time. He thought he had taken care of himself. He obviously hadn't...."
I wouldn't be so quick to judge your brother about not taking care of himself.
These medical issues in humans are mainly hereditary. Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, orthopedic woes, cancer are mainly issues you're more prone to have because of the genes you're born with, not the lifestyle you live.
I was an athlete in school and continued to workout daily my entire adult life. I was a 10k and marathon runner, I did some strength training and yoga every week. I was lean and watched my diet. I didn't smoke or drink alcohol or coffee. I didn't do drugs.
And yet at age 63 my annual physical showed a loud murmur in my heart. My atrial valve was damaged and needed repair or replacement. As a mechanic would do a complete overhaul if he has to break open the engine case to replace the rings, my cardiologist had me do a heart dye test before surgery and found four coronary arteries that were 80% blocked. A heart attack waiting to happen. So this went from a valve repair to coronary bypass surgery just like that.
So within two weeks, I had a quadruple bypass and valve repair in open heart surgery and almost died two days later. Heart stopped and I quit breathing when I threw a pulmonary embolus. After cutting me back open again, the surgeon hand-massaged my heart back into a normal sinus rhythm and I survived. Took three years to get back to normal so I could workout again and work on my farm.
I asked the doctor why I got this heart disease if I took care of myself my entire life? He said it didn't matter. It was in the genes. It was hereditary. Both my parents had heart disease and high blood pressure. All of my siblings have the same problems. I was going to get it too.
I thought I took great care of myself and would avoid these issues later in life. But it was a fool's journey. I could not avoid the inevitable Mother Nature had programmed me for, even if I tried.
So don't be too hard on your brother about not taking care of himself. And having heart problems in your genes too. Make sure you get those tests done on yourself too.
Good luck and again, so sorry for the loss of your brother.
Well said. Take care, friend.
I knew a guy that was born a vegan, never had meat, ran marathons, preached health...and dropped dead of a heart attack at 40.
Part of staying alive is eating well, exercising, taking care of yourself, and the rest is seeing doctors that know how to measure your health and take preventative and corrective care.