Second life for RJ

At first, he thought it was just gas pains or heartburn and the symptoms would disappear as soon as he burped. But then, he couldn’t burp and he became worried; he knew that something serious was happening to him.

"The burning pain in my chest rose to my throat, as if my throat was on fire," recalled Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, "as if my teeth were falling. When I began feeling clammy, I knew that it wasn’t just heartburn; I knew that something was terribly wrong with me."

Five hours after RJ felt the first symptom, he was at the Emergency Room of the Makati Med, his blood pressure hitting 190/110. After an ECG (Electro Cardio-Graph) test, RJ saw the faces of his doctors fall. From his bed, he saw one doctor whisper something to his wife, Frannie Jacinto, who was standing in one corner. Frannie’s face fell, too. Then, RJ noticed all their children present and he heard himself asking, "Why are you all here? Is it that bad?"

Yes, it was that bad – very bad.

His right main artery was totally clogged and he needed an angioplasty right away. His doctors didn’t let RJ go home that night. Instead, they rushed him to the ICU where he was confined for three days before he was moved to a private room for a two-day rest.

"Had I been brought to the hospital three hours later," RJ said, "it would have been too late."

RJ didn’t need a bypass – yet – but the angioplasty he underwent was a critical one.

"My doctors told me that they didn’t usually perform an angioplasty on a completely clogged artery. Before they did, they made my wife sign a waiver. So, ganoon ako ka-grabe. The doctors tried using four types of wire before they dislodged the blockage. And then, they cheered! They told me that I was lucky the blockage didn’t occur in either of the two left arteries; ’yung right artery daw is useful, all right, as passage of blood oxygen to the heart but not really as useful as the left arteries."

One month later, even now that he’s up and about, as good as new if not better than ever, rocking the lobby of EDSA-Shangri-La Friday nights (starting at 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.) before SRO crowds that spell over to every nook and cranny of the ground floor, RJ couldn’t quite figure out where he went wrong.

"The culprit was stress. I guess it’s my being a Type A personality – you know, masyadong driven. Dinidibdib ko talaga ang trabaho ko and the doctors told me that it’s not good, that I should know how to relax and keep work out of my mind. When you’re hyper-active and a perfectionist, you’re not aware that even when you’re asleep, your mind continues working and dwelling on your work."

He stopped smoking 15 years ago and, although he drinks, it’s now in moderation. But then, RJ was fond of rich food, especially cakes and pastries. The good thing was that he worked out regularly by jogging around Urdaneta Village (Makati) where he and his family lives, and that (the workout) surely helped his body cope with those symptoms that, in the case of men of lesser stuff, could have led to sure death.

Before the angioplasty, RJ, 57, probably believed he was Superman, minding the many Jacinto businesses almost by himself while at the same time doing concerts not only in Metro Manila (at the Bistro RJ’s) but also in cities around the country. Before he fell ill, RJ had just wound up a series of concerts, one of them in Cebu.

"The angioplasty was an eye-opener," admitted RJ. "I realized that, like my contemporaries, I’m not as young as I used to be and I have to slow down a bit. I should go on working, all right, but not at the expense of my health."

These days, he follows a relatively relaxed (albeit not really laid-back) schedule. He now delegates work among his staff but keeps an eye on the 10 Jacinto radio stations all over the country and one TV station, and several guitar stores. He observes a no-fats, no-sweets diet, and has added some medications (one of them to make his blood thin) to his usual dosage of Vitamins E and C. He has bidden meat and dairy products goodbye – and good riddance! – and said hello to broccoli and green leafy vegetables (and fruits). He also exercises more regularly than he used to and gets at least seven hours of sleep every night, with catnaps if possible.

"The doctors said that I didn’t really suffer a heart attack," added RJ who is 10 pounds lighter. "Wala daw crack o marka ang puso ko."

As I’ve said, RJ is as good as new, belting out songs from the nostalgic ’60s and ’70s at the EDSA-Shangri-La lobby which has become the meeting place of Baby Boomers and even younger music-lovers Friday nights, grooving on songs by, among others, The Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits, etc.

Soon, he’ll be singing to an elite crowd aboard the Super Leo luxury liner during a cruise from Hong Kong to China and other nearby Asian cities. The concert-at-sea is aptly titled Rock the Boat.