I gave my heart to the Lord in 1959 during a celebration of Pentecost. He renewed my spirit and changed my heart of stone into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). My whole life I have had a heart for the down and out, and I often help the homeless. Because of my job as an executor of estates, I also help those who have lost loved ones, in a very practical way. God has helped me and has given me a new life by touching my physical heart when I least expected it.

First symptoms of a heart problem
As a child and young man, I participated in all kinds of sports. Until August 2004, I had no signs of heart problems. One Friday that year, I developed severe chest pains and felt a stiffness in my jaw. I was terribly nauseous. On that particular day, I had to hand in legal advertisements at the state printer. Usually it took me about 15 minutes to walk from my car to the printer. That day however, it took me more than half an hour because I had to sit down on the curb every time that the pains in my chest became too excruciating.

Four cardiac bypasses
That weekend at home, I thought the continuing pains were just as a result of anxiety, as I am often tense and anxious. That following Monday I went to see Dr. Van Aardt, who was most upset that I made my way to his consulting room unassisted after such a life-threatening incident. I was admitted to hospital and the following Sunday, Dr. Kobus Stanton operated on me – I had a quadruple heart bypass surgery. 

Heart failure and weakened heart muscles
In 2008, I had felt extremely ill after completing the Otter Hiking Trail. The cardiologist, Dr. Dannheimer, diagnosed heart failure. My heart’s muscle capacity had decreased from 72% to 50%, but even with this diagnosis, I still regularly exercised by climbing stairs. I just accepted the state of affairs.

Calcification and angioplasty
On the 10th of November 2018, I was at my cardiologist for my annual check-up. She said that I had to be admitted to hospital the next day, as the angiograms indicated that one of my heart’s major arteries had calcified to the extent that it was virtually solid and had lost all elasticity They put in a stent and I had to take Clopiwin Plus, along with the other medication that I was already taking for my heart condition. 

Jogging again for the first time
After I was discharged from the hospital, I bought my JOY! Magazine and read about the Oxygen Products and bought some for myself. Initially I felt no different, but on the 18th of March this year, I jogged again for the first time in many years. Previously, I used to feel a burning pain in my chest when I tried to jog from one lamppost to the next. On that particular day however, I followed my usual route that I walked for exercise every day. I tried to jog and found that with the first attempt to jog from pole to pole, I didn’t feel as tired as before! I then ran half a block and walked for half a block. I felt comfortable, but I was unsure of how far I could push my heart. Two days later, I attempted a route of eight kilometres for my exercise and easily completed the distance while jogging and walking.

An improvement of four percent within four months
In April, I went to see the cardiologist – purely curious to ascertain if my heart condition had really improved. I told her that I now added Oxygen pills to my medication. She said that “stuff” would make no difference. However, I requested that she must do her usual examination, which also includes an electrocardiogram. After I climbed the allocated stairs for the test, she pointed to the screen of her laptop excitedly and said that my heart was definitely beating much better. After she printed the graphs, she said that my heart muscle’s capacity of 39% had improved to 43%. She advised me to continue using the Oxygen pills. 

Gratitude to the Lord
I am so grateful to the Lord for the new lease on life and for my improved health.

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Date published: 26/07/2019
Written by: Hannes van Niekerk, lives in Pretoria and has been married to Antoinette for 47 years. They have two children
Article source: JOY! Magazine