Samuel Johnson did not have the typical symptoms of heart trouble. He was just miserably tired, with a cough he couldn't shake.
But his longtime physician, Tito Izard, MD, found that Samuel's heart was functioning like the heart of a much older man. Along
with immediate treatment for congestive heart failure, Samuel got some frank advice.
"I delivered his son," Dr. Izard says. "I told Sam that if he kept on this path, he was not going to see Sam Jr. graduate from
high school."
Samuel began working seriously with Dr. Izard to control his weight, blood pressure and thyroid condition. "He was always a
great patient, but he made a strong commitment to improving his health," Dr. Izard says.
Samuel calls Dr. Izard "a superman to me — an advisor, a confidant, a friend." With Dr. Izard's encouragement, Samuel tries to
exercise with a little hiking or fishing whenever he can. "I want to be around as long as I can, for the sake of my kids," he
says. "That's the bottom line."
Protecting families