A decade after he co-founded a medical device to open up clogged arteries caused by coronary heart disease, John Adams underwent his own treatment.
An electrical engineer and medical device entrepreneur, John Adams first started tinkering with the concept of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) in 2007 with his partner, Daniel Hawkins. The idea was to use sonic pressure waves, or shockwaves, to crack hardened plaque in the arteries so doctors could place a stent and improve blood flow. They later co-founded Shockwave Medical, which commercialized the technology.
Adams had previously had a quintuple bypass surgery after experiencing angina, chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart, in 2010. Nine years later, he started feeling tightness in his chest again and learned he had heavily calcified arteries.
Adams took action.
“Males, we like to ignore symptoms,” the 80-year-old told Business Insider. “The fact that I have been in the cardiology business for a long time, I recognized the symptoms and went to the hospital when I needed it.”
Because IVL had not been FDA-approved in the US yet, he flew to London to treat the blockage in his right coronary artery. Adams recalled being in bad shape when he arrived in London, walking very slowly and often feeling winded. Two days after the procedure, he remembers feeling much better and wanting to go sightseeing with his wife.
“We could see the London Tower, and I thought, ‘Well, let’s go over there and be tourists,'” he said, adding that they climbed over 200 steps of the tower together.
He later had the procedure done in his left coronary artery at the University of Washington Medical Center. IVL was officially approved by the FDA in the US in 2021.
Since then, Adams said he feels “fully back to normal” and enjoys an active lifestyle that involves flying planes, racing boats, and ATV riding in his home state of Florida.
Still, there are a few other longevity habits that keep Adams feeling spry.
He stays very active without setting foot in a gym
Adams doesn’t feel the need to go to a gym.
“I’m just a very active person,” he said. “I don’t like to sit around, so I’m always on my feet.”
Adams, who started racing boats when he was 16, still races today with his family, in addition to jet-skiing and walking his dog a lot. He’s also built two planes over the years, one of which he sold in 2017, when he started feeling chest pain again.
“Since about a year ago, I’ve been feeling so good. I decided I’d like to start flying again,” he said, adding that he began taking flight lessons last fall. “So I bought another airplane, and I’m in the process of getting re-certified to fly myself.”
He keeps his brain busy in retirement
Often, retirement comes with the risk of slowing down too much; no longer having work as a daily purpose or challenge. Not so in Adams’ case, who is always looking for something to fix or paint around the house.
“I’ve just always been a hands-on person,” he said. “We have a machine shop here at my house, and half the time I’m out there with my sons.”
Adams and his sons are passionate about building and maintaining their boats, including creating the motors from scratch.
Family time is key
Maintaining close relationships is a key part of longevity, which is why Adams spends a lot of time with his family.
“My boys are here almost every day doing something in the garage,” he said.
“We’re pretty close, and we’re always doing things together,” Adams said of his family. Both sons are also getting their pilot’s licenses so they can fly with Adams.
“I mean, it gives you a motive to keep on going, right?”
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