Legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders suffered a heart attack last summer. Now, he is opening up about the experience in a new documentary called “The Making of a Heart Attack.”
Sanders spoke with Craig Melvin on NBC’s “Today Show” about what motivated him to share his close call.
“When you think about just how many people are impacted by heart disease and heart attack and stroke, you know, the numbers are just staggering, right?” Sanders said.
On Father’s Day in 2024, Sanders was on a recruiting trip with one of his sons when he felt a persistent burning sensation in his chest.
“It wasn’t like a real strong pain, it was just like persistent, like right in the middle, and that’s when I kind of started to get worried, like, man, why is this not starting to decrease? And that’s when I said, maybe I should drive, maybe I should drive to the emergency,” Sanders explained in the documentary.
Tests confirmed that Sanders had suffered a heart attack.
Now, the man known for his numbers on the football field hopes others can learn their own health stats.
“So many people live with those silent risk factors, and I was one of them,” Sanders said.
He discovered that more than 40% of adults with high LDL — the bad cholesterol — don’t know their levels are elevated. High LDL can cause plaque buildup in arteries, putting someone at risk for a heart attack.
“That’s one of the things that we have to really stress, is know your numbers, know where you are with this. So you can, you know, take steps moving forward to do something about it,” Sanders said.
“The Making of a Heart Attack” features Sanders and other survivors sharing their stories. Click here to watch the documentary.
Sanders says he is feeling great now and stresses the importance of knowing your health stats so you can take proper action.
