February is National Heart Month. This makes perfect sense due to the fact that valentines falls on this month. There are so many different meanings for the word heart. For example if someone says he showed a lot of heart, they are implying that the person had a strong will to achieve or succeed. He has a big heart suggests that the person is generous or sensitive. He has no heart may mean he is shallow or unsympathetic. The symbol of a heart represents love. Saying someone is heartless may actually suggest that they are evil. One of my all time favorite uses of the word is in the movie Rocky 1 where Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) says if you want to win “Ya Gotta Have Heart”.

I have spent the last 25 years attempting to help people learn how to look and feel their very best through exercise and good nutrition often forgetting about my larger and much bigger purpose in life and that is to help them discover the joy of living a healthier lifestyle as opposed to the results from it.

When I was 15 I was on the thin and flabby side and have the pictures to prove it. When we settled down in Texas, it was a monumental transition moving from the east coast to a huge Dallas High School. My early indoctrination and inspiration to lift weights and exercise came from the school running back on the football team. Ironically he was relatively new to the area himself but he was an athlete, had a build way beyond his age and model good looks. His name was Dave Lucas and he would later become one of the best friends of my life. His father had played professional football for the New York Giants and while I was far from an athlete, which you had to be to use the school weight room, David would sneak me in after school and on the weekends and show me how to lift weights properly. This was 1978 and I can tell you now he was light years ahead of his time on exercise and nutrition.  The guy studied this stuff way before the age of the internet. He would read everything on the subject he could get his hands on. In time I learned he had a good reason to be passionate about his body and his health. He had congenital heart disease and his own father had died of a heart attack at age 36. David was the oldest son of six children. I really took to the weights and before long my own body started responding.

One day David said he wanted to share something with me but no one could ever find out. I said sure and he said I mean it! No one can ever find out and you can never share this information with anyone ever at anytime. I’m like Ok, what could be so important? He said his cholesterol is over 450 and they are going to have to run a number of tests on him over a long period of time in an effort to arrest the problem. He was adamant that this never get repeated or in all likelihood he would not be aloud to play football and his family had agreed to keep it under raps, they knew sports were everything to him. Then he said I don’t want this to come across like I’m negative but as my best friend I want you to know that I am not going to live a long life unless there is a scientific break through. As I started to talk he said please don’t say a word. I am prepared to become as fit and healthy as I can and live my life to the fullest and have long accepted my potential fate.

The guy was such a passionate person and truly was my first trainer and inspired me in so many ways. He was one of the most popular guys in school yet chose me as I chose him to be best friends with. Unlike many high school friendships that grow apart quickly after graduation, David and I remained in close contact and continued to speak on a regular basis for many years to come. To this day no one could make me laugh as hard as he could. I would literally be sore the next day in my abs from laughing so hard. Among many of his passions from his family, dog and friends, he was crazy about sports. I was very instrumental in getting him his own radio show on the station where I broadcast my “Weekend workout” show. I really loved this guy and just writing about him makes me smile, brings a tear to my eye and warms my “Heart”.

David jogged 5 miles everyday rain or shine and often took his golden retriever with him. I wasn’t sure if David was the marring type but then one day he informed me he had met the love of his life. I was happy for him and knew she had to be a special person. David died of a massive heart attack 3 days after proposing to his beloved girlfriend. He was jogging with his dog at the time of his death. He was only 36. He died the same week, month and age of his father before him. His family while prepared were devastated and his friends in utter shock.

Last year I called his mom and took her to lunch. It had been over ten years since David’s passing and I guess a parent never really gets over the loss of a child. It was good to see her nonetheless and I knew David would appreciate the fact that we continue to stay in touch. For the first time I shared the secret that David shared with me over 30 years ago. I never ever told anyone until that day! She looked at me like she had seen a ghost. While she of course knew his condition she had no idea he knew his own fate.

I still think about David from time to time. He would be proud of what I have accomplished and even prouder to know he help start it all. He taught me much more than pumping weights. He believed in me in spite of my academic challenges and lack of athleticism. In spite of knowing his own fate he went above and beyond to learn about health and fitness in the small hope that medical science might catch up to his unique situation. Today we now know that early symptoms such as David’s aren’t the only answer. Heart disease is still one of the biggest killers on this planet. Now it is your turn to have a healthier and happier heart. Maybe the bigger reason David came into my life is for me to become the voice to help guide others to a healthier existence. Now it is your turn!

Have a very happy Valentines!

Yours truly,
Larry North