More than 65 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure. That is one in three adults around the country, and just because you are an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, does not mean that you are exempt from being diagnosed with hypertension.
That is why when four-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana found out during a routine exam his blood pressure was high, he not only set out to get his levels down, he decided to help others become more aware of the disease and what can be done to control it. He was in Salt Lake City last week spreading the message.
"I want others to know the importance of knowing what their blood pressure is," Montana said. "There are no symptoms with the disease, so you have a tendency to think, 'I feel great so there can't be anything wrong with me.' That is exactly what happened to me. I was going in for a yearly physical and I felt perfectly normal. Even though I had a family history of it on my mom's side, I never thought it would affect me, and there it was."
When Montana realized he had a problem with his blood pressure, he set out to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. He changed his diet and began exercising more rigorously again, but he still was having trouble bringing the pressure down into a healthy range. He found his solution by taking a combination medication that is offered through the program and public education campaign that he and Dr. James M. Rippe represent called the BP Success Zone.
Rippe is a Harvard-trained cardiologist and is the founder of two institutes, one in Florida and one in Massachusetts, that promote healthy living and disease prevention research and communication. He says it was a no-brainer to team up with Montana in helping the public become aware of the campaign.
"Right from the beginning, Novartis Pharmaceuticals (who is the primary sponsor of the BP Success Zone campaign) thought it would be a good idea to link someone that had high blood pressure that was willing to talk about it and had a celebrity status and put them with a cardiologist ... We are right at the end of our fourth year doing this, and it has been a great campaign. At its core, this is a public information campaign."
Rippe was an obvious choice to join the program having already been involved with the issue for many years. For Montana, getting involved also was an easy choice once he found out exactly what it could mean to people around the nation.
"I had just been through it (blood pressure awareness) and got it under control. My agent sent me an e-mail saying they were looking for someone that had high blood pressure, family history and a couple other things. I said, 'Yes, all the above.' So she called me and asked if I would take a look at the campaign.
"I liked the idea that it wasn't one of those things that we are trying to find a cure. This affects so many—if you count heart attacks and strokes— the numbers say that it kills more American adults than all other diseases combined. Yet, we already have the means to make a difference but we just can't get people to understand the importance of blood pressure."
In the four years of the program, Montana and Rippe have traveled to nearly every state as well as putting on hundreds of satellite conferences promoting the necessity for awareness. Something which could save hundreds, thousands or possibly even millions of lives.
"Had I not been going in at least once a year for the physical it may have been one of those things that sneaked up on me. They call it the 'silent killer' for a reason because there are no symptoms." added Montana. "They say usually the first symptom, if left unchecked, is a heart attack or stroke. We have the ability and means to lower your risk simply by getting with your doctor and going over lifestyle changes, eating healthier, a little more exercise and finding the right medication."
Along with the public appearances, video conferences and interviews the pair goes through each year, Montana was able to get his family involved with the cause. The Montanas wrote a book, "Joe Montana's Family Playbook for Managing High Blood Pressure," that is available for free thanks to sponsorship. A copy can be obtained by going to the website www.getbpdown.com or calling 1-877-GET-BP-DOWN.
It was an added bonus for the former quarterback to get his family involved. His list of accomplishments on the field is great— a collegiate national championship; four Super Bowl wins, including three times being named the MVP; and an induction to the pro football Hall of Fame — but he still says his greatest accomplishment in life is ongoing.
"It's a work in progress," he said. "I am still trying to raise my family and watch my children as they grow up. I want to be around for them, that is another reason it was so important for me to get my blood pressure under control. I want others to have that same opportunity, so that is why I take the time to try to impress upon others to have their blood pressure checked."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com