Exercise saves Gardendale man
A Gardendale man, as well as his doctors, say he is alive today because he takes the time to pound the pavement several times a week.
John Engels, 52, has been a runner for 26 years. His overall health helped save his life when, on Sept. 2, 2010, he had a stroke.
Engels did not know what was happening: He was at work at Hibbett Sports in Gardendale, where he is manager, and his right arm became paralyzed just as he was answering the telephone.
He grabbed the telephone with his left hand, and continued helping the customer on the phone, who was looking for a pair of shoes. Meanwhile, Engels tried to force his right arm to move, but it would not budge.
The paralysis lasted about 30 seconds, but his arm, nose and right ear continued to be numb.
A trip to Urgent Care in Fultondale resulted in a doctor telling Engels to get to an emergency room immediately.
After a battery of tests, a doctor told Engels that he had experienced a “very significant’ stroke, caused when a blood clot traveled up the left carotid artery and into his brain, according to an article Engels wrote for the Birmingham Track Club publication.
It turns out that Engels has a birth defect that causes the atrium wall of his heart to be full of small holes.
Surgeons placed a mesh plate over the holes and he healed rapidly. His neurologist told him the fact that he is a runner is the only reason he is still alive.
By Nov. 11, Engels was already running again, even if it was just “a couple of real easy miles.”
Today, less than five months after suffering a significant stroke, Engels is back up to running five or six miles, several days a week.
“I’m not what I would call a health nut,” he said, adding that he does not tell people what they should eat or how much they should exercise.
He does, however, consider himself a living testimony of how exercise can be a benefit.
“You don’t have to be in an elite society to run,” he said. “I find that about 20 percent of people who are in 5K races, walk the whole thing. … It’s for everybody. You don’t have to have a certain body type. Just understand what (exercise) can do for you.”
Engels helped start the Black Creek Runners, a local club with about 18 members. They run at Black Creek Park, the Gardendale Civic Center and other places.
He has found that the club benefits family members of the runners, too, by helping pair up people who want to walk instead of run. “You don’t have to run, but just do something,” he said.
And speaking of family members, Engels said it is important to thank the families of people who run and do other types of exercise programs.
“Thank them for their patience,” he said. Even though running and other exercise routines take people away from family time, he said it helps ensure that people stay healthy in order to be with their families for the long run.