Published: November 26, 2009 12:23 am      

Heart attack survivor Scott to compete in Turkey Trot

Kenny Scott has had an amazing recovery from a massive heart attack suffered just over a year ago.

Running, walking and living a healthier lifestyle have been instrumental in his recovery, and it all culminates today when the 41-year-old Grass Creek man reaches his goal of competing in the annual Turkey Trot in Logansport.

“My cardiologist said he would write a book on me, he was that shocked,” Scott said. “I plan on taking him the results from the Turkey Trot to show how far I’ve come.”

Scott suffered his massive heart attack on Oct. 18, 2008 and was taken to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne via a helicopter.

“At one time my cardiologist told my family I only had a 50/50 chance to live,” he said. “I was in intensive care for three days. I was also told I would never go back to work again.”

Scott said he walked — and was not carted — out of Parkview after a six-day stay, and he’s been focusing on his recovery ever since.

It was Thanksgiving last year when Scott decided to set his goal of competing in this year’s Turkey Trot.

“Last Thanksgiving I told everyone at dinner, my whole family, that I was going to compete in the Turkey Trot the next year,” he said. “I was about in tears. It was pretty emotional.”

The Turkey Trot is a 4-mile run held every Thanksgiving the past 13 years at the Cass County YMCA in Logansport. Scott has been interval training — running and walking in intervals — leading up to the event and plans to utilize the method at the Turkey Trot. He was introduced to interval training by the Cardio Rehab center at Logansport Memorial Hospital, which he credited for being a main force behind his recovery.

“My cardiologist [Ronald Landin], Cardio Rehab and family — all three groups together — deserve so much credit for where I am today,” he said. “The Logansport Cardio Rehab, if you know anybody who has a heart attack, tell them to go there. They are amazing.”

Scott said he has ran and walked 2-4 miles a day six days a week to get ready for the Turkey Trot and to aid in his recovery. He said he prefers doing his interval training in Logansport on the trails and on the streets while he enjoys observing nature and the architecture of Logansport’s homes.

Scott was told his smoking habit of two to three packs a day was the main reason for his heart attack. He hasn’t had a cigarette since.

“It was not even a choice,” he said. “It was a choice that if I kept doing it, I probably would not have survived.

“I haven’t cheated or snuck one in. It’s all been personal goals, and I don’t want to let my family down.”

Scott also changed his diet after his heart attack.

“I was raised to eat everything on your plate — meat and potatoes,” he said. “Now I eat smaller portions and I eat a lot of chicken and a lot of turkey. I do not eat deep-fried foods at all. It’s helping the body help itself.

“I’m very selective with how much beef and pork I eat because of their fat content. I eat a lot more vegetables and have acquired fruit.”

Scott’s road to recovery still has some road blocks, as he still has two arteries that are 100 percent blocked.

“Someday down the road [the arteries] will have to be fixed,” he said. “They said for now, for the next few years, they’ll see how it goes with one stint in.”

Scott, who has worked at Matthew-Warren Industries the past 17 years, has been married to his wife, Karen, for over 22 years and has two sons, Kam, 21, and Kenzey, 19. He said Karen and other family members will participate in the Turkey Trot with him.

After the Turkey Trot, the family is planning a big family dinner in Plymouth.

“Rain or shine, cold or warm, it’s going to be a really beautiful day,” Scott said. “Nothing bad has really come from the heart attack. It’s brought the family closer together. Several people in the family and around the family have made changes because of me. I’m healthier.

“I haven’t found something bad from the heart attack. I know it sounds crazy, but you have to find the bright spot in anything. I’m really blessed in what happened in that I survived, and I’m trying to make the best of it.”