Businessman and health-conscious Toivo “Topi” Sukari, 68, received a referral for ball enlargement surgery.
Toivo Sukari has to undergo heart surgery, but his wife Nadja supports him by his side. Atte Kajova
A health bomb hit the beginning of the year. Toivo Sukari, 68, considers himself a person for whom health has always been everything. The diet has been healthy for years and the running runs have been tasty for the busy entrepreneur. Although there has been enough stress, he has thought that he can cope.
That’s why the diagnosis of asymptomatic coronary artery disease came as a shock to him.
– It came completely out of the blue, as a complete shock. I was absolutely sure that I had nothing. I just wanted to check the matter and go to the tt shootings before Christmas, says Toivo Sukari, contacted by Iltalehti.
He told about his diagnosis first Ilta-Sanom.
The doctor called Spain with the test results and immediately made a referral for balloon dilatation surgery. On the public side, the surgery would have had to wait until March, so Sukari plans to pay for the operation herself. The surgery will be done next week in Helsinki.
– Better to go to surgery quickly than to wait for a heart attack. It’s a panic, that’s why I want to go, Sukari says seriously.
– Even if there are no symptoms, the information increases pain and fear. For example, I don’t dare to do jogging now and I took nitro last night just in case.
Sukari says that she used to do annual health checks just in case. He has felt well except for the heartburn that has plagued him for years. Now he wonders if the heartburn could have been a sign of coronary artery disease. He says that he has occasionally experienced chest pains in the past ten years.
There is a family history: Sukar’s close relatives have had heart diseases.
– This is exciting. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink much alcohol and I’m in top shape – still something like this can strike. Or is it the cause of genetic inheritance? When I was younger, I did pull pig donuts and I had a long day, he said aloud.
Into deep waters
The diagnosis has made him seriously consider his own lifestyle.
– I have lived a healthy life for a long time, but after this I am going to eat food that cleans blood vessels, such as apples and lemons. I used to be able to have pizza during the week, but now I miss them. I’m going on a stricter diet, he plans.
– I haven’t had a drink with Nadja when I’ve been together, but now I’ve started to medicate this heart with red wine. I’ve read that it’s good for the heart.
Toivo Sukari says that he has not touched a pint of beer when he was together with his wife Nadja. Jussi Eskola
He considers himself a person of extremes. The trait has been able to bring success in business life, but the tendency has often taxed one’s ability to cope. The diagnosis woke up Sukar in a new way.
He counts the number of marathons he has run in his life – maybe now is the time to slow down.
– I make crazy big Ideaparks, the biggest in Finland or none at all. I’ve been going full throttle the whole time, and no one’s heart can handle going full throttle like that. This has been a lot of work stress and mindless jogging, he sums up, and reminds that even a healthy lifestyle does not necessarily protect anyone from diseases if the stress is not kept under control.
He is going to learn balance in his life. Yesterday too, Sukari took a long run of 15 kilometers, but this time he didn’t take running steps at all.
That’s a good start.