This is from Craig, posted on AR:
First off: I'M GOING TO BE FINE! I'm home now, and probably will be for some time (which isn't really all that bad a thing.)
Second, and perhaps of greatest interest to all who have not had the experience of a "cardiovascular event" (uh, I definitely don't recommend it!), this came as a complete surprise, and in multiple ways. None of us are in as good shape as we can be, but I work out regularly and haven't completely lost the battle of the bulge. There is ZERO history of heart disease in my family. So I didn't see this coming. But that is largely my fault because I realize now I've had a couple of subtle warnings in the last few months. If you have such, please don't ignore them!
The "event" itself did not have classic symptoms. No chest pain, no pain in extremities. My buddy Bill Jones and I were in the final phase of a safari in Uganda, and it was a very hot midday when we got onto a really good Nile buffalo bull. We got him down and were dancing and celebrating when I felt the world go upside down...catastrophic loss of blood pressure, turned white as a sheet, had trouble breathing. I didn't go all the way out, so remember the event with a very odd detached calmness. Bill, PH Tony Moore, and cameraman Andy MacDonald poured water on me and in me. The symptoms were actually much more akin to acute heat exhaustion than a heart attack. I am not sensitive to heat, so this didn't make any more sense, but a heart attack didn't seem the most likely problem.
They got me cooled down, and after a while (as someone noted) I did indeed rally for both photos and video ("the show must go on," right?). I felt like [bleep], but definitely better.
We got back to camp and, with the last major animal secured, decided we would all head to Kampala. The big disconnect, if there was one, was that the International Hospital in Kampala diagnosed a pulmonary infection, gave me antibiotics, and sent me on my way. Honest, I couldn't disagree with that: I was having trouble breathing, but not really any chest pain, and both blood pressure and pulse were fine.
Fortunately flights were open and I was able to get out of there almost immediately. It was the longest flight of my life, and my situation was clearly deteriorating rapidly. When I got off the plane Donna took one look at me and got me to the emergency room. At that point things started happening very fast. It's amazing I survived the journey home, and the doctors seemed fairly confident I couldn't have lived through the night had I been stubborn and insisted on staying home.
We here in the United States enjoy many blessings. One of them, in my view, is the best health care in the entire world. I freely admit that my appearances in church are not as regular as perhaps they should be, but I can promise you I'll be there this Sunday, and I'll be including a great team of doctors, nurses, and technicians in my prayers...along with all of you.
Again, many thanks!
Craig Boddington
