It has been an eventful few weeks since the Alaska State Legislature began on January 18th. A vote was held in both the Senate and House to reject the recommendations of the State Officers Compensation Commission. That piece of legislation was on the House floor on Thursday, January 27th.
Noticeably absent from being able to vote was Kenai Rep. Ron Gillham, who was recognized as having an excused absence. This excused absence on Thursday, turns out, was a heart attack. One that almost claimed his life. He says it was a difference of just 15 minutes.
Gillham says that the medical emergency took him by surprise as he says he’s fairly healthy. He states that he didn’t have any of the risk factors like obesity, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Additionally, he doesn’t smoke, nor does he drink alcohol. Medical professionals alerted him to the fact that this was a genetic issue that they weren’t even aware of until after the attack.
Gillham says he wants his constituents, and the public as a whole, to know how serious heart disease is. Risk of heart disease increases if you have high blood pressure, have high blood cholesterol, and are overweight or obese. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that each risk factor increases a person’s chance of developing heart disease. The more risks you have, the higher your overall risk. Some risk factors cannot be changed, which includes age, sex, and a family history of early heart disease. Many others can be modified. That includes being more physically active, quitting smoking, and eating healthy.
The medical emergency has temporarily taken him away from his duties as a legislator in Juneau with the Second Regular Session currently in order.
Gillham’s wife Pamela states that he works very hard to stay healthy and, because of that, his heart was strong enough to come through with little to no damage and he is expected to recover fully. Further, Gillham had a complete DOT physical just weeks prior to this incident.
Rep. Gillham’s expected return to the Alaska State Capitol is Tuesday.
