Ted Guloien
Ted Guloien is a social psychologist from Toronto who experienced cardiac arrest during a half-marathon in November 2013, collapsing 250 metres from the finish line. He compiled his reflections into a self-published pamphlet for survivors and brings both professional insight and lived experience to his writing.
Statins: The Whipping Boys of Cardiac Drug Therapy
I’m approaching year 8 of breakfasting on atorvastatin. When my GP first explained to me that I’d be taking the medication for the rest of my life, after being diagnosed with cardiac ischemia and atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease), I protested. I bargained with him: “What if I change my diet?” “What if I go vegan?” ...
We Can Be Heroes
What is it about surviving a sudden cardiac arrest that makes us feel special? I felt pretty special after those early confusing weeks passed. On the compost heap of feelings and emotions, I was experiencing at the time, this was the most puzzling. It wasn’t as if surviving the arrest was like swimming to shore ...
Leaving your rubber boots behind
I took up doing Sudoku puzzles after my sudden cardiac arrest. With too much time on my hands, yet constrained by an inability to maintain focus any longer than it takes to brush a tooth, it seemed a better option than the frustration involved in trying to read a book. I was wrong. You’ve probably ...