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American Morning
New You Resolution
Aired January 06, 2004 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is time now for the "New You Resolution," our eight-week series in which we take five regular folks who want to make some big health changes in 2004 and help them a little bit on their way.
The first is line in David Peck. He's 43 years old. He's a father of two and a pretty typical business traveler. He's on the road all of the time, and he's eating on the run.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It sounds like a lot of people we know.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it does.
HEMMER: And maybe some folks here now. He doesn't look unhealthy, but beneath that surface, a family history of heart disease always lurking, always in the back of his mind, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in fact. So, on a recent business trip, he actually decided to write to us for help. He actually sent this from a laptop in a hotel room.
Here's his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Meet David Peck.
DAVID PECK, NEW YOU RESOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Yes, is Susan available?
GUPTA: At work, David Peck is seriously stressed. He's the head of sales at a small start-up company in Silicon Valley.
PECK: If I get really stressed out, Ill go for the comfort food, fill the belly, feel good.
Would later on this afternoon be better?
GUPTA: Cold calls and corporate lunches, those are the staples of his day. Frequent flying, fatty road food, overeating -- all of it makes him feel like he's checking in extra baggage.
So, three times a week he heads to the gym. But what truly motivates him to improve his health is something that happened more than 30 years ago. His father died of heart disease. David was 9 then. Today, all he has are a few pictures.
PECK: I wish I would have known him. At least, you know, I have memories of him, which is good.
GUPTA: He also has the fear that history will repeat itself.
PECK: It hurts. I don't want to do it to my kids.
GUPTA: David's family tree sags with even more heartache. His brother recently had a triple bypass.
With his family history in mind, David decided to make a "New You Resolution" and visit his cardiologist for a stress test and echocardiogram. The results were as he feared.
DR. ALAN YEUNG, CHIEF OF CARDIOLOGY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Actually, on a stress test, you know, you exercise for quite a bit of time. And what happens is that the back part of the heart slows down, so it's suggests that there's a blockage in that artery.
GUPTA (on camera): So, he just happened to have this stress test today. If he hadn't had it done, what would have been his most like scenario?
YEUNG: Yes, we don't know for sure, but there's a good chance that, you know, in the future he might have a heart attack.
PECK: Well, I feel very fortunate that I was selected.
GUPTA: Yes, I mean, so it sort of inspired you a bit to get this done, huh, the...
PECK: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, I know the path I would have taken if I didn't sign up.
GUPTA (voice-over): Signing up may have spared his family a life without him.
AMY PECK, DAVID PECK'S WIFE: Gosh, my heart would be ripped out of my chest. I would lose my best friend, and just what the kids would lose would be so hard, and you never want that to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Joining me now is David Peck. Thank you very much.
PECK: Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You had some jolting news there clearly with that echocardiogram. Surprised?
PECK: Very. I thought, you know, the whole program, you know, I was looking at it as an opportunity to improve, and I was not expecting that.
GUPTA: Right.
O'BRIEN: So, what happens now? You've got this information. Are they going to clear out that blockage? Will they put you on medication? Will you start an exercise program? What's the next step?
PECK: You know, I've never been through this before, so I'm learning as we go. But they are going to do an angiogram and look at where the blockage is, what it is, and then address how they're going to attack it.
HEMMER: One thing, I still don't understand why knowing the history of your family, why you'd wait until the age of 43 to get it done?
O'BRIEN: Denial?
PECK: I'm sure there's a little bit of that, but I was always inquisitive. I think younger I was more concerned, and as I went to doctors, they said just genetically it doesn't always mean you're going to have a heart problem yourself. I was hoping I was more on my mom's side of the family, but...
O'BRIEN: Look at the pictures of you and your dad. You look identical in those photographs.
PECK: He is receding. Come on now, there is hair here.
O'BRIEN: Except for that. Except for that.
PECK: There is hair here.
GUPTA: Well, how are your friends reacting to this? You've got a lot of friends who are sort of like you, right?
PECK: Yes. Actually, I can probably count 10 friends that are going to go do stress tests. I mean, they -- and I have a close friend that I work out with. He's going to do it. Right after I got the news, I called by brother. And so, there are quite a few people it's impacting, more than I ever thought of.
O'BRIEN: Really?
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Your kids are so cute. I wonder if they really help motivate you to kind of stay on track.
PECK: Absolutely. Absolutely, a big part of it. Family is really important. So, why not take care of yourself and create opportunity to do it here?
HEMMER: Yes, the one thing I think everybody can learn from this story is that even if you get an annual physical and even if you get your cholesterol checked, you still might not spot the trouble.
PECK: Well, I was pretty amazed. The blood results they did, I looked very clean. You know, I have no idea if I went -- you know, if I didn't get on the show what would have happened. So, it was kind of very intriguing to see that the blood results were very, very good and maybe I would not have had a stress test and wouldn't know this. O'BRIEN: Is that typical, Sanjay, that all of your sort of lab work can be fine, and then the stress test is really the thing that's going to show the health of your heart?
GUPTA: You know, all of these things are taken in combination. If someone has that strong a family history, even if their lab work is OK, there are going to be a lot of cardiologists, as in David's case, that are going to recommend further testing. Suspicion is there, but you've got to confirm it somehow, as was the case with you as well.
PECK: Right. I mean, I did get the opportunity to see a cardiologist, and he said, yes, if I would have talked to you earlier, you have had the stress test. I wasn't seeing a cardiologist.
GUPTA: Well, lots of information and lots of things we've got planned for you over the next eight weeks. We've got an entire team assembled for you. So, here's what a dietician, a fitness expert and your cardiologist prescribed for your "New You Resolution."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PECK: It's like if they tell me, you know, it's low fat, low calorie, then I'm, like, 'OK, double it up.'
GUPTA (voice-over): The first item your prescription: portion control. We'll hook you up with a nutritionist from the American Heart Association, who will counsel you and help improve your food choices on the road.
PECK: I've made the mistake, well, slam down a big burrito before I hop on a plane.
GUPTA: You are exercising three times week. Great. We've enlisted a trainer to bolster that cardio and fill in the gaps in your workout, help you lose weight, get you back to old svelte self.
She'll also craft workouts you can use on the plane, in your hotel room, and yoga, aroma therapy to calm those nerves. And you'll be following your doctor's orders, getting an angiogram to take a closer look at your heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Good luck, David.
PECK: Thank you very much.
GUPTA: Thanks for being part of this "New You Resolution."
O'BRIEN: Yes, thank you. Some upside, too. You live in northern California. I mean, there's great food there. There are lots of places. Every hotel now has a gym. I mean, I feel very hopeful.
PECK: And good burritos.
GUPTA: And...
O'BRIEN: No more burritos for you.
PECK: That's right. And the airport food has gotten a lot better, I've got to tell you.
GUPTA: And that angiogram coming up.
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
GUPTA: We're hoping people at home learn from you as well. That's the real goal of this program. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for coming in. I think it's very brave of the people who have sort of agreed to do this. I don't know if people saw. You were very getting choked up in this, so it's nice to have you. Good luck to you.
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I believe you're going to do it. No problem.
PECK: Yes.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 6, 2004 - 07:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is time now for the "New You Resolution," our eight-week series in which we take five regular folks who want to make some big health changes in 2004 and help them a little bit on their way.
The first is line in David Peck. He's 43 years old. He's a father of two and a pretty typical business traveler. He's on the road all of the time, and he's eating on the run.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It sounds like a lot of people we know.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it does.
HEMMER: And maybe some folks here now. He doesn't look unhealthy, but beneath that surface, a family history of heart disease always lurking, always in the back of his mind, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in fact. So, on a recent business trip, he actually decided to write to us for help. He actually sent this from a laptop in a hotel room.
Here's his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Meet David Peck.
DAVID PECK, NEW YOU RESOLUTION PARTICIPANT: Yes, is Susan available?
GUPTA: At work, David Peck is seriously stressed. He's the head of sales at a small start-up company in Silicon Valley.
PECK: If I get really stressed out, Ill go for the comfort food, fill the belly, feel good.
Would later on this afternoon be better?
GUPTA: Cold calls and corporate lunches, those are the staples of his day. Frequent flying, fatty road food, overeating -- all of it makes him feel like he's checking in extra baggage.
So, three times a week he heads to the gym. But what truly motivates him to improve his health is something that happened more than 30 years ago. His father died of heart disease. David was 9 then. Today, all he has are a few pictures.
PECK: I wish I would have known him. At least, you know, I have memories of him, which is good.
GUPTA: He also has the fear that history will repeat itself.
PECK: It hurts. I don't want to do it to my kids.
GUPTA: David's family tree sags with even more heartache. His brother recently had a triple bypass.
With his family history in mind, David decided to make a "New You Resolution" and visit his cardiologist for a stress test and echocardiogram. The results were as he feared.
DR. ALAN YEUNG, CHIEF OF CARDIOLOGY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Actually, on a stress test, you know, you exercise for quite a bit of time. And what happens is that the back part of the heart slows down, so it's suggests that there's a blockage in that artery.
GUPTA (on camera): So, he just happened to have this stress test today. If he hadn't had it done, what would have been his most like scenario?
YEUNG: Yes, we don't know for sure, but there's a good chance that, you know, in the future he might have a heart attack.
PECK: Well, I feel very fortunate that I was selected.
GUPTA: Yes, I mean, so it sort of inspired you a bit to get this done, huh, the...
PECK: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, I know the path I would have taken if I didn't sign up.
GUPTA (voice-over): Signing up may have spared his family a life without him.
AMY PECK, DAVID PECK'S WIFE: Gosh, my heart would be ripped out of my chest. I would lose my best friend, and just what the kids would lose would be so hard, and you never want that to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Joining me now is David Peck. Thank you very much.
PECK: Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You had some jolting news there clearly with that echocardiogram. Surprised?
PECK: Very. I thought, you know, the whole program, you know, I was looking at it as an opportunity to improve, and I was not expecting that.
GUPTA: Right.
O'BRIEN: So, what happens now? You've got this information. Are they going to clear out that blockage? Will they put you on medication? Will you start an exercise program? What's the next step?
PECK: You know, I've never been through this before, so I'm learning as we go. But they are going to do an angiogram and look at where the blockage is, what it is, and then address how they're going to attack it.
HEMMER: One thing, I still don't understand why knowing the history of your family, why you'd wait until the age of 43 to get it done?
O'BRIEN: Denial?
PECK: I'm sure there's a little bit of that, but I was always inquisitive. I think younger I was more concerned, and as I went to doctors, they said just genetically it doesn't always mean you're going to have a heart problem yourself. I was hoping I was more on my mom's side of the family, but...
O'BRIEN: Look at the pictures of you and your dad. You look identical in those photographs.
PECK: He is receding. Come on now, there is hair here.
O'BRIEN: Except for that. Except for that.
PECK: There is hair here.
GUPTA: Well, how are your friends reacting to this? You've got a lot of friends who are sort of like you, right?
PECK: Yes. Actually, I can probably count 10 friends that are going to go do stress tests. I mean, they -- and I have a close friend that I work out with. He's going to do it. Right after I got the news, I called by brother. And so, there are quite a few people it's impacting, more than I ever thought of.
O'BRIEN: Really?
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Your kids are so cute. I wonder if they really help motivate you to kind of stay on track.
PECK: Absolutely. Absolutely, a big part of it. Family is really important. So, why not take care of yourself and create opportunity to do it here?
HEMMER: Yes, the one thing I think everybody can learn from this story is that even if you get an annual physical and even if you get your cholesterol checked, you still might not spot the trouble.
PECK: Well, I was pretty amazed. The blood results they did, I looked very clean. You know, I have no idea if I went -- you know, if I didn't get on the show what would have happened. So, it was kind of very intriguing to see that the blood results were very, very good and maybe I would not have had a stress test and wouldn't know this. O'BRIEN: Is that typical, Sanjay, that all of your sort of lab work can be fine, and then the stress test is really the thing that's going to show the health of your heart?
GUPTA: You know, all of these things are taken in combination. If someone has that strong a family history, even if their lab work is OK, there are going to be a lot of cardiologists, as in David's case, that are going to recommend further testing. Suspicion is there, but you've got to confirm it somehow, as was the case with you as well.
PECK: Right. I mean, I did get the opportunity to see a cardiologist, and he said, yes, if I would have talked to you earlier, you have had the stress test. I wasn't seeing a cardiologist.
GUPTA: Well, lots of information and lots of things we've got planned for you over the next eight weeks. We've got an entire team assembled for you. So, here's what a dietician, a fitness expert and your cardiologist prescribed for your "New You Resolution."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PECK: It's like if they tell me, you know, it's low fat, low calorie, then I'm, like, 'OK, double it up.'
GUPTA (voice-over): The first item your prescription: portion control. We'll hook you up with a nutritionist from the American Heart Association, who will counsel you and help improve your food choices on the road.
PECK: I've made the mistake, well, slam down a big burrito before I hop on a plane.
GUPTA: You are exercising three times week. Great. We've enlisted a trainer to bolster that cardio and fill in the gaps in your workout, help you lose weight, get you back to old svelte self.
She'll also craft workouts you can use on the plane, in your hotel room, and yoga, aroma therapy to calm those nerves. And you'll be following your doctor's orders, getting an angiogram to take a closer look at your heart.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Good luck, David.
PECK: Thank you very much.
GUPTA: Thanks for being part of this "New You Resolution."
O'BRIEN: Yes, thank you. Some upside, too. You live in northern California. I mean, there's great food there. There are lots of places. Every hotel now has a gym. I mean, I feel very hopeful.
PECK: And good burritos.
GUPTA: And...
O'BRIEN: No more burritos for you.
PECK: That's right. And the airport food has gotten a lot better, I've got to tell you.
GUPTA: And that angiogram coming up.
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
GUPTA: We're hoping people at home learn from you as well. That's the real goal of this program. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for coming in. I think it's very brave of the people who have sort of agreed to do this. I don't know if people saw. You were very getting choked up in this, so it's nice to have you. Good luck to you.
PECK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I believe you're going to do it. No problem.
PECK: Yes.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
