Home and Away's Ray Meagher reveals shock health scare
Ray Meagher has revealed he underwent further heart surgery following a triple bypass last year.
The Home and Away fan favourite was doing some post-op exercise six months after his surgery when he felt "a few twinges".
After a visit to the GP, it was discovered that the actor had a blocked artery and within 24 hours he was back in surgery with a life-saving stent being put in place, reports news.com.au.
Ray joked that he's now "ready to take on the marathon at the Tokyo Games, where I’m sure I will medal, as they say".
The actor is using his story to remind Australians to get regular health check-ups by supporting the Heart Foundation's fundraiser 'Give With Heart Day'.
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"Blokes feel like they’re hypochondriacs or [wusses], or something, if they’ve got a bit of a twinge and tend to ignore it,” he said.
“Not all blokes, but a lot do and I think men are worse than women in ignoring those things. Like it’s a dreadful sign of weakness … I don’t know what the rationale is, but they don’t listen to the body and you’ve got to.
"If you’re getting a bit of a niggle, then go and see your GP and he’ll send you to the right people. You might be alive instead of dead, and I think that’s a better option."
Ray shared that he tries to keep fit and healthy while working on Home and Away and walks between all the locations on set rather than letting crew drive him around.
"The old ticker can creep up on you without giving you warnings and some people aren’t as lucky as me. They don’t get the bloody warning or a twinge … just bang [and gone]. It is just so important to get checked and on a regular basis," he said.
Last year, Ray spoke about the shock of finding out he needed emergency surgery telling The Herald Sun he was meant to be going on holidays, but instead found himself preparing for surgery.
"We were all packed up and ready to drive north, but if we had gone without seeing the cardiologist, well, you could have a heart attack at the wheel, you kill yourself, you kill your wife, or some other poor innocent people,” he said.
“It’s just horrific to think what could have happened.”
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