Avon Park, Florida – His voice echoes throughout the church as he sings about his faith in God.

It may have been the last song Pastor Rodney McFadden sang. Mr. McFadden, 44, a former college basketball player who helps lead the congregation at Avon Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, is the epitome of good health.

However, that image began to crumble when he went to the dentist last August. They took his blood pressure and immediately sent him to his doctor.

“She said, ‘Pastor, you don’t look good,'” McFadden recalled.

His blood pressure was over 110 and 220. His chest was compressed. The doctor told him that he had to act quickly.

“We have to send you to the emergency room right away,” McFadden remembers the doctor saying. “She called her wife and said, ‘Listen, we’re not letting him go home.'”

In the ambulance, he prayed and thought about the people who had touched his life.

“All I kept thinking about was my kids, my family, will I be able to go home?” McFadden said.

When he arrived at AdventHealth Sebring, they found a so-called widowmaker, a 90 percent blockage of the main artery to the heart.

“When this gets cut off too quickly, people end up dying. That’s why they’re called widow makers,” said Dr. Deepti Bander, a cardiologist at AdventHealth Sebring.

Doctors acted quickly and eventually placed a stent to widen blood flow to the heart.

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“If we hadn’t gotten it under control very quickly, he could have had a stroke, a severe heart attack, or even death,” VanDer said.

they saved him. My prayers were answered. McFadden read a Bible verse from Proverbs.

“Above all else, protect your heart, for everything flows through it,” McFadden read.

Although McFadden is Black and heart disease is more prevalent among Black people, anyone sitting in his church right now will likely hear an additional message from Pastor Rodney.

“If you have an underlying health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, make sure you see your GP, see your doctor and get your numbers checked. I’m only 44 so I never thought of that. ”’ McFadden explained.

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He thanked God that he had arrived in time. If he had waited another day, he probably would have died, he said.

Pastor McFadden says family time is even more precious now.

Note: Doctors say that no matter your age or race, you should see your doctor at least once a year. Be sure to check your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

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