Bob Warren is a father, a businessman and a man who lost both his grandfather and great-grandfather to heart attacks at an early age.
At 47, Warren isn’t taking any chances with his health, by seeing his doctor regularly and taking advantage of vascular screenings, a recommendation based on his family’s medical history.
The safe, non-invasive test is used to measure the thickness of the walls of the carotid arteries. The screening helps physicians identify patients with atherosclerosis — hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart attacks, stroke and impaired blood flow to the legs.
“My dad had been paying attention for years to the signs of a heart attack, which at the time, were pain in your right arm and shoulder, shortness of breath and those kinds of things. He was 52 when he had his first open heart surgery,” notes Warren. “So each year past 48, he’d say, ‘I beat you, Dad.’ ”
Warren’s father, who ultimately lived a full life and passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2008, is a reminder to Warren of how important it is to take care of his health. The president of The Warren Company, a steel warehouse and fabrication service center in Erie, hopes he can encourage others to take advantage of vascular screenings, as well.
“You need to set a baseline earlier in life, and this gives you a point to start from. Then, as you go through those preventative care measures, through your personal health-care provider, you can see if there are changes that are being made,” Warren notes. “This is what can help you do that. Here’s the information that’s available. Here are the services that are out there.”
Read more in the February 2015 edition of the Business Magazine.
