Heart attack

The Story of Stent

Today is my 17th re-birthday. If you’ve been a longtime reader, you know why I call it my re-birthday. If you are new around here, well, here is a short recap. Just after I turned 41—17 years ago—a life of poor habits and family genetics caught up with me. I had a heart attack and was in the hospital for a few days. The doctors discovered all sorts of problems, and I ended up on the operating table. I came back home with a few new additions to my heart—the stent.

This morning, over my first cup of tea, I started to think about the past few years – things that have gone right – mostly right – since that heart attack. It was a terrible situation, but it changed the trajectory of my life.

After the surgery, the doctors told me to shape up. So in the years that

Continue reading...Continue reading The Story of Stent

Musings, My Essays, Technology
39 comments

Second Chances

I am one of the lucky ones. Why? Because I have two birthdays: one on the day I was born and the second on the day I was reborn, which is today. Sixteen years ago, I found myself on the brink, facing mortality, only to be mysteriously saved.

My natural instinct is not to dwell on the past, and I usually don’t. But there are red-letter days in your life when your present and past confront each other. I woke up very early this morning, as I normally do, to journal. A question kept surfacing in my mind: have I made the most of the extra time I’ve been gifted on this planet?

Continue reading...Continue reading Second Chances

Musings
6 comments

My 11th ReBirthday

It was today, back in 2007, due to some health-related complications I almost died — and when I came out of the hospital, I knew that things wouldn’t be the same again. I have had to change — a lot — and looking back most of it has been for good.

For instance, after a lifelong three pack a day smoking habit, I have been smoke-free for eleven years. Think of it as a gift of almost dying.

And every single anniversary of what arguably was a distinctively unpleasant day, I am reminded that in the end, we are never in control, or that looking back, somehow dots all connect. Whatever seems to be the very worst situation, turns out to be just the start of a new chapter of possibilities.

As luck would have it, my re-birthday is also an opportunity to take stock of the bonus year I

Continue reading...Continue reading My 11th ReBirthday

On Photography
0 comments

“You have to trust in something”

A decade ago, an event happened that changed my life. Some of you old friends and readershave followed the progressreports. But, honestly, it would take a full ten years for me to understand the impact and outcome of that one event. Life in many ways is like a paint by numbers book, where you can color, one tiny bit at a time but within invisible lines. The whole picture emerges much later. Perhaps Steve Jobs said it best:

Continue reading...Continue reading “You have to trust in something”

Musings
0 comments

On Kafka’s Podcast

Recode’s Peter Kafka was kind enough to invite me on his podcast, “Recode Media with Peter Kafka” to generally chit chat about life, venture capital and media. We reminisced about our days at Forbes. We talked about my life at True Ventures, and how a near death experience changed my life for the better. Oh we discussed my disagreement with John Gruber, though I know it isn’t something you need to think about. But in the end, we talked about my love for technology. Peter thinks I have a radio voice, so might actually contemplate my reviving own podcast ;-), You can listen to Recode Media in the audio player linked below or via iTunes, Google Play Music, TuneIn and Stitcher.

Me In Media
0 comments

8

Sometimes it is hard to forget certain days – like today. Eight years ago, I had a near fatal experience and it changed a lot of things in my life. It changed my outlook on many things. Maybe that is why I think of it as a personal red letter day – a chance to stop and take stock of my life.

I stopped smoking eight years ago. I am still not smoking. I have never regretted anything more than picking up that first cigarette as a teenager, all in the name of being cool, being part of a clique and imitating others. I am not wired to be part of the cool kids, or be part of a herd or good at imitating others. It was a bad idea to try and be someone else.

Addictions are a life long curse and it takes a lot of fear to

Continue reading...Continue reading 8

Musings
0 comments

7

Lucky seven — as some would call it! Today happens to be my seventh re-birthday. As a survivor of a near fatal heart attack, I think every day is a lucky day, a miracle of science and a lot of luck. The best part of last seven years — they have been smoke & tobacco free. Each day has been a struggle, but worth it. My doctors say that my cholesterol is in the right place, my heart is healthy. I could be a few pounds lighter and for year number eight, I have a modest goal to lose eight pounds!

There isn’t much to say, except to feel grateful for these bonus years. I have learnt a lot during the past seven years. It is easy to lose sight and forget to live your life. I have at times done that. At times, I have postponed a lot of important things, but over

Continue reading...Continue reading 7

Musings
0 comments

Number Six

Six is a sweet number. Just like 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. As a survivor of a near-fatal heart attack, I am glad to be celebrating the sixth anniversary of my new life. It is a blessing to have these bonus years. I sometimes wonder if I am wasting them or not doing enough with them. But as someone told me you can’t hurry life so why try to live as if you have pressed the fast-forward button. 2013 was a year which spiraled out of control — work, travel, life and just human anxiety made me appreciate the value of time a little less. I am hoping to change that.

PS: Help support UCSF Cardiology department by contributing to my Indiegogo campaign We are so close to our stretch goal of $40,000.

Musings
11 comments

Five years later

By all odds, the chances of me writing this are pretty slim. Five years ago, around this time, I had walked into the emergency room of the UCSF Hospital in San Francisco, complaining of a bad heartburn. In reality, it was a heart attack. The numbers were against me. I was one of the almost a-million Americans who suffer some kind of heart attack every year.

Prayers, divine intervention, great medicine or all of those resulted in me walking out of the hospital a few days later, and a month later I was back in the saddle again. I got really lucky that I got a second chance – a chance to not only remake my body, but myself and my life. I got a chance to make some wrongs right.

Continue reading...Continue reading Five years later

Musings
25 comments