Andrew Lara

Joel Jamieson did everything right and was still walking around with a 50% blockage in his widowmaker artery. He’s a world-renowned cardiovascular expert who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, sleeps well, manages stress, trains consistently, and has a VO2 max probably north of 55. He got screened at 40 and found it. He had zero symptoms the entire time. This is the core problem with cardiovascular disease in well-trained individuals — it doesn't announce itself the way we expect it to. The markers we typically use to flag risk don't apply. No excess body weight, no poor lifestyle habits, no reason to think anything is wrong. What actually predicted Joel's risk was his family history. His mom had a stroke at 60. His dad and uncle died early. His brother had a triple bypass before 50. Every signal was there, just not one he could feel. If that kind of history exists in your family, get screened. The CT angiogram runs around $1,200 out of pocket — not cheap, and hopefully that comes down over time. But if you can justify it, it's worth it.