Over the weekend, Duane Chapman was rushed to the hospital over concerns that he had suffered a heart attack.
The Dog’s Most Wanted star turned out to be more or less okay.
Now, Duane has sat down and explained that he ended up in the hospital because of a broken heart.
"You don’t pray, you go through it, let me tell you," Duane tells a reporter in the video that we have included.
"It was just, you know, the center," Duane recalls. "I just couldn’t breathe."
"It was like … I’d ran a 3 to 4 mile run," he explains. "You know how you feel when you get like that?"
(For most of us, the feeling we get after a 1 mile jog is enough to prevent us from learning what four times that is like. Walking is just fine, thanks)
Wisely, his assistant rushed him to the emergency room. Don’t take chances with your life.
"I guess things happen like that," Duane reflects.
"A lot of psychological things go through your brain when this happens, you know?" he says to the reporter.
He is speaking of course of the passing of his late wife, Beth, who died just a few months ago after a battle with throat cancer.
And he is correct that emotional stress can have a catastrophic effect upon health, both directly and by causing an unhealthy change in habits.
(If you’re not eating right or sleeping right, your health will pay the price)
"So," Duane explains. "Something’s gotta break."
"I’m still going through some, ah, psychological things right now, too," Duane relates.
"So," he continues. "That doesn’t help, you know?"
"I, I, I uh," Duane begins before trailing off, and you can tell that his voice is breaking.
Even with those dark glasses on, you can tell that he is crying.
"Basically," he says in a softer tone. "I had a broken heart."
Duane does add an optimistic note after making that painful confession.
"Of course," he notes. "It’s going to heal."
He’s right.
The first months — even the first years — after a tragic loss are harder than most people can imagine.
Reality can be cruel as you think or dream of a loved one only to recall that they have passed.
Over time, you no longer forget. It’s still painful, but it’s no longer shocking — just part of your life.
Obviously, a "broken heart" is not a medically recognized condition for anyone who isn’t Padme Amidala.
But the effects that stress can have on the body are extremely well-documented and still being researched.
As we mentioned, poor nutrition and poor sleep are often symptoms of stress and grief.
With stress comes changes in blood pressure and heartrate, which can also adversely impact one’s health.
In extreme cases, people can stress themselves into an early grave.
Doctors did speak to Duane at length, urging him to take better care of himself despite Beth’s passing.
Remember, ruining your own health does nothing to honor loved ones who are gone.
The best that you can do is honor their memory by living your life to the fullest.