I grew up in a house that was always active, either in sports or outdoors. 

So, you might wonder how someone like me, now 48 years old, has already had double bypass, six stents, and a heart attack. 

I learned I had high cholesterol when I was 13, right after my dad had quadruple bypass surgery. He was 39. We didn’t know then it was a common genetic disorder called Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), passed on from parent to child. We were told it was just unusually high cholesterol and that my dad and I would need to be on a statin for the rest of our lives. 

I don’t remember my dad taking his statin… ever. I’m sure he did, but I just didn’t see him take it. I can tell you that he complained a lot about muscle aches, and so I have a feeling he quit and just tried to combat the high numbers with diet and exercise.