February is American Heart Month Heart attack strikes local clergyman despite vegetarian diet and regular exercise
By Glenda Sanders Contributing Writer
Photos by Trenton Steele
Bishop Dennis E . Huggins Jr . in the sanctuary of First Apostolic Church of West Meridian , which he co-founded more than 30 years ago with his wife , Pearl .
May 7 , 2018 , is a date Bishop Dennis E . Huggins Jr . has etched in his memory . He was at First Apostolic Church of West Meridian , the church he founded with his wife , Pastor Pearl Rice Huggins , waiting for an organizational meeting to begin to discuss preparations for an upcoming ceremony .
“ I was getting ready to sit down , and I had to excuse myself . I began to sweat profusely by the time I got to the office ,” Huggins recalled . “ I asked my grandson to go get Granny because I couldn ’ t go back to the meeting . When she got to the office , she knew something was wrong and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital . I said ‘ yes ’ immediately because I did not feel good .”
Huggins was quickly rushed to the emergency room of a local hospital .
“ The next thing I remember is the doctor telling me that I had a heart attack ,” he said .
Each year , more than 655,000 Americans die from heart disease , the leading cause of death in the United States , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Annually , about 805,000 Americans suffer a heart attack .
In an effort to make people more aware of the importance of being heart healthy and to encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles , each year February is nationally designated as
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