By Dan Courtney, NIFS Correspondent

“NIFS saved my life. No doubt about it.”

Those were the exact words from NIFS member Gary Sailes last month after suffering an embolism and subsequent heart attack at home. The embolism was a result of recent knee surgery.

“The doctors said there was damage to the heart because of the blood clot,” said the 55-year-old Sailes. “I read where 300,000 die each year because of this. The doctors said, ‘Your good health saved your life.’”

Sailes’ good health is a result of three days a week of strenuous workouts at NIFS. Included in the workouts are flexibility exercises, cardiovascular work on the elliptical machine and muscle building on the Cybex circuit.

“Along with my workouts, the people at NIFS helped me learn to watch what I eat. I’ve always loved to eat,” said the 6-foot-3, 240-pound member since 1991.

Sailes‘s was a professional tennis teacher and an amateur player for many years. However, in 1997 he suffered a career-ending right knee injury. He remained active in his daily workouts until 2002 – 2004 when he became extremely busy at work and gained more than 30 pounds.

He then reevaluated his life and became “more focused” and talked to NIFS staff about a nutrition plan. The Indiana University professor was also staying active with his new-found love of golf, where he became a six-handicapper. It was on January 15, 2007, when Sailes had left knee surgery to have debris cleaned out. That’s when his trouble started.

“I had gotten out of bed and had a sandwich when my stomach felt uneasy,” related Sailes. “I started to feel dizzy and unsteady and started sweating. My heart was pounding heavy and fast. That’s when it hit me, ‘I’m having a heart attack.’”

Sailes said he thought his heart was going to explode, so he took the precautionary measures of elevating his feet and calling 911. “I was barely able to speak.”

The medics took Sailes away and gave him oxygen, nitroglycerin and blood thinners to get his blood levels under control.

Sailes said there would be no lingering effects of his heart attack and he can return to the activities he was doing before the setback. And one of those is returning to NIFS.

“I am so thankful for NIFS,” he said.

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