I Don T Want To Die Of A Heart Attack Just Yet

---

 


Earlier this year, we lost Ahmad Zaki Nasruddin, a basketball player who suffered a stroke and never recovered.
He was in his late 40s (around my age) and still playing basketball, took part in Ironman competitions, and was quite healthy and active in all kinds of sports.
His passing was the first to jolt many of us basketball players who were a part of the community.
Last week, the local National Basketball Community League lost another two members of its community - Firdaus Kamilrudin and Zhahril Zaki.
Firdaus tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident, while Zhahril died on the court of a heart attack during a league game. They were both in their early 40s and played in the Division Two and veteran categories.
Many of us in the community were shocked to hear of their deaths, and especially Zhahril’s, who collapsed only a few minutes into his team’s Division Two game at night.
I had been playing a veteran division game with my team just earlier that day in the afternoon, but we had all gone home after that and did not stay to watch the other division matches.
These players were still considerably young, had young families and friends, and were really in the prime of their lives. Their lives were suddenly cut short, and incidents like this should always serve as a reminder for us who are still living to put things into perspective.
We should appreciate the time we have in this world with our loved ones and doing things we enjoy.
As much as we want to live a healthy and active lifestyle, playing sports and exercising, there are a lot of things that we need to consider as well.
Eating a well-balanced diet, adopting healthy habits like not smoking, getting enough sleep, and resting are also very important for a holistic life. Do not forget to also know our physical limits and constantly get medical checkups so we know where we stand.
Staying fit, still at risk
The latest National Health and Morbidity Survey indicated a rise in overweight and obesity rates among Malaysians.
From the date of the release of the survey, it has been discovered that 54.4 percent of adults fall under this category, and more than two million people are living with major non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
In fact, I have recently been diagnosed with high cholesterol, and the doctor has given me six months to reduce it if I don’t want to be given medication.
This is quite a surprise for me since I’m a pretty active person. I run 5km daily with at least one 10km run a week. I also play basketball every Friday. But it goes to show that you can, and always have to, do more to ensure that you are fit and healthy.

So I’m doing all I can right now. I don’t think I can exercise any more than I already do without my limbs dropping off, so the extra effort I’m making now is to implement a bit of a change in my diet.I eat more vegetables, fruits, and clean protein. I’m trying hard to reduce red meat and saturated fat (note that I am reducing and not eliminating because I still want to enjoy a slab of steak every now and then, along with some nice laksa Johor!).
But I guess I’m lucky because I enjoy sports very much. Basketball has given me a lot of joy in my life. I have been playing since I was 14 years old, always representing the schools and universities that I have attended.
I was an okay player, not a star player, and never represented anything more than the school level, but I did enjoy the game a lot and have made many friends because of it.
Even today, being able to participate in the National Community Basketball League has been a blessing. The league, although not a professional league (anyone can join, even me!), has allowed so many people to enjoy the game of basketball.
There are a variety of divisions, from the highest first division to the chillest 40-and-above veteran division, where everyone plays a friendly game.
We need to realise that exercise alone isn’t enough. It needs to be accompanied by healthy eating and constant medical monitoring.
Do not forget that mental health and well-being are also important. Issues like stress and hypertension can manifest into a lot of physical trouble for your body as well. We need to see health as holistically as possible.
I have a wife and children that I love, and I want to continue to be able to share my life with them and do everything that I can with them together. I also have good friends that I want to play basketball with for as long as I can.
We have been playing for almost 30 years, and if possible, we want to continue playing for another 30 years, even if it is just at a walking pace once we can’t really run and jump anymore.
I think that it is also important that the Malaysian government put more emphasis on policies and practices that can encourage our society to be healthier and happier. A healthy nation is a happy nation, is a productive nation, is a progressive nation.
So my fellow Malaysians, let us all take our health seriously and do everything that we can to make sure we can lead our best lives possible. Let’s not die of a heart attack just yet. - Mkini
ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---