Guestwriter

This winter, something dramatic happened to somebody close to me. Not only dramatic, but a matter of death, and not only close, but my own father. Here is his story:




I died on a Tuesday.
On the last day of November 2010 my heart stopped beating.
Repeatidly. I was given 15 defillibrations before the heart begun to beat by itself again.

It is horrifying to die. I actually was aware of myself falling dead. In my head I can still hear my own voice screaming: "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!"

Over and over again. I scream and scream and scream. Being so close to death is terrifying. It is so frightening it is literary beyond description, My vocabulary is not, not even in Swedish, enough to find the right words.

But, and this is important, fear is not all bad. Of course it is not pleasant, but it gives me all the motivation I need for a new lifestyle. This means I have quit smoking, I am eating healthier stuff (vegetables, fish and fruit is perfect - cream, butter, sugar is no no) and I have increased my workout to a totally new level, between 1,5 and 2,5 hours per day.

At the moment I have all the time I need for workout and recovery since I am still on leave from work. That will change from March when I start working again, at least part time.

I am one of all the Swedes who wine about Swedish tax levels. I pay about 40 percent of my salary in tax, which is close to the top level in the world.
But in my current situation it would be unfair to complain. When I was in hospital I payed about 12 USD per day for all the medical care and attention I needed. The actual cost to society for this specialized cardiac care is about 6000 USD per day.

I also receive payment from the state during the time i can not work. It is rather complicated to calculate the figures but bottom line is that I get about half of the normal income these first three months. On top of that our family get some money from insurances. So paying the regular bills and afford the normal life is pretty easy. But we have cut costs on luxury like restaurants and other spontaneous spending.

All in all my life will never be the same again, but that is not all bad. I will live a lot healthier and will appreciate life a lot more since I can not take staying alive for granted.

I am now given a second chance in life and since I am thereby living my second life I got to be wise as a very old man and entitled to give advice:

Enjoy life - it is a beautiful thing. Do not smoke - it does not let you live this beautiful thing.