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Joe Taresco, 43, of Roxbury, wondered why he was getting so out of breath with the least exertion, but he never dreamed it was heart disease.
“I thought I was too young for it,” Taresco said, looking back on his first diagnosis three years ago.
His family doctor sent him to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown for a stress test, and he was immediately admitted and scheduled for catheterization.
Cardiologist Dr. Samir Hadeed put a stent in a blood vessel in Taresco’s heart and directed him to complete six weeks of cardiac rehabilitation. The rehab included exercise and diet guidelines intended to help heart patients improve their overall health.
Taresco bought a treadmill with the intention of keeping up the physical exercise program.
“The problem is trying to find time to do it,” Taresco said at his Rambo Street home.
“Now I make time to do it.”
His new resolve is one positive result from a second, near-fatal encounter with heart disease.
On Oct. 23, Taresco decided to walk down the street to Tony’s Sub Shop, 1346 Franklin St. when he developed some chest pain. Following Hadeed’s instruction, he headed back home to take some nitroglycerine and see if the pain would pass.
“I almost didn’t make it home,” Taresco said. “I couldn’t breathe. I ended up lying down in the front yard.”
He made it into the house and took the nitro. But it didn’t help, so he drove himself to the hospital.
Although the event was not considered a heart attack, it soon would have qualified if Memorial’s team had not stabilized his condition. Two days later, he received his second catheterization and stent.
“I had a 99 percent blockage,” Taresco said. “I think it was the left artery. It was the one they call the widow-maker. Usually when that happens, people don’t live to talk about it.”
This time, he is committed to a heart-healthy lifestyle.
His basement is crammed with a treadmill, elliptical machine and a weight bench.
“I try to exercise for one hour in the morning before I go to work,” Taresco said.
His whole family is joining the program.
His wife, Nancy, takes her turn on the equipment and their nieces and nephews come by for a workout.
“It’s like Joe’s Gym,” he quipped.
And the changes don’t end with his physical activity schedule. He’s eating healthier and has purged the house of all candy and cookies.
“I have a sweet tooth,” Taresco said. “If it’s there, I am going to eat it.”
Taresco said he never considered having his procedures done in Pittsburgh, especially after he was treated in Memorial’s program.
“It is more convenient. But also, it is a good hospital,” Taresco said. “Dr. Hadeed is a great guy. I’d recommend him to anybody.”
He has one more recommendation for anyone experiencing unexplained chest pain or shortness of breath.
“Don’t ignore it like I did the first time,” Taresco said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Joe Taresco on the treadmill in his basement gym. Randy Griffith
Discussion
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