looked like a guy who’d played college football, even if the uniform might now be a bit snug.
Long shifts and a long commute often resulted in Whitehead eating what he could when he could. Fried food became a staple in his diet. He drank at least one soda per day. He tried avoiding other sweets, though, because diabetes runs in his family.
Whitehead was a semi-regular at the gym. On good weeks, he went twice, putting in 2.5 miles on a treadmill each time.
He had a physical exam each year and never had a problem with his blood pressure. He had no family history of BP problems, either, but whenever he was at the pharmacy and nobody was using the machine, he liked to check his number. They were always good.
But on this Saturday morning in Harvard Park, the nurse said his BP was 160/130 – well into the danger zone.
It was so out of whack that she waited a few minutes and took it again.
The numbers came out even higher.
***
The nurse gave Whitehead a quick lesson about the dangers of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, explaining that it ups his risk of heart disease and stroke.
She recommended he watch his