Dining out on fast and easy food for most of his 10 years in office, by his own admission, took its toll on John Yap.
But it still came as a significant shock to the Richmond MLA’s system when he learned late in 2014 that he had serious, life-threatening heart disease.
After undergoing a quintuple heart bypass operation, Yap is acutely aware of how lucky he has been and taken the hint from his body to turn 180 degrees in terms of how he lives from day to day.
And now, three months after the major surgery, he’s nearing the end of his “Healthy Heart Program” recovery.
“I’m onto the last few sessions at Richmond Hospital,” Yap told the News of his cardiac rehabilitation program.
“It’s an eight-week, part exercise and part nutrition education program that I’ve been taking part in twice a week for two hours each day.”
Yap, the B.C. government’s parliamentary secretary for liquor policy reform, said the angiogram late last year, which revealed he had advanced coronary artery disease, came totally “out of the blue.”
And he’s now had to completely change his diet after admittingly having erratic eating habits due to his hectic schedule as an MLA.
“Having gone through this healthscare, I’m really grateful for this new lease on life,” said Yap.
“I wasn’t paying attention to my diet and was eating too much fast food and convenience food; but my job was no excuse.”
