I thought it was the laptop bag. Or the seafood. Or maybe just stress.

It wasn’t.

This is the story of the day I had a heart attack—and didn’t realize it until it was nearly too late. Mid-July, a work offsite, some bad shellfish (maybe), and a slow-motion collapse I tried to laugh off with Coke and denial.

I take you through the whole thing: the symptoms I ignored, the EMS ride I weirdly enjoyed, and the quiet moment I realized I might not make it back to my daughters.

No medals. No triumph. Just baby aspirin, bad decisions, and the beginning of what I now call Strike One.

Dark humor. Honest reflection. And the start of a very unexpected trilogy.