December 18, 2019. 

It’s a date Southland District Mayor Gary Tong will remember for the rest of his life. 

Because that’s the day his life changed forever. 

It was a busy day for the veteran mayor, but one that ended with a fish and chip dinner with his children. 

That night he went to bed feeling ill and woke up the next morning vomiting. 

The next nine days were spent in varying states of unwellness, until, on December 27, thinking he had “man flu”, he went to the doctor. 

It was a potentially lifesaving decision, because it was then that he learned, after being hooked up to an electrocardiogram, that he had suffered a massive heart attack and his heart was a ticking time bomb. 

Fast forward 15 months, and after two surgeries (one to insert five stents, and the other to implant a defibrillator) and a whole lot of soul searching, Gary is a changed man. Or at least, a changing one. 

Faced with the eye-opening proposition that he had been extremely close to dying, he has embarked on a healthy lifestyle journey, one that has brought him to the Sport Southland-run Green Prescription service. 

Green Prescription is a free personalised support programme aimed at helping patients reach healthy lifestyle goals in physical activity and nutrition. Patients are connected with a Green Prescription advisor, with monthly consultations (either via telephone or face to face) to help them navigate their journey to improving their health. 

Sport Southland Physical Activity Team manager Jess Domigan said people signing up to the Green Prescription service came from all walks of life, cultures, ages, and physical abilities. 

“Often they know where they want to be in terms of improving their health outcomes, or preventing illness, they just need some help, support, and motivation, to get there.” 

For Gary, news that he’d suffered a heart attack was shocking. 

“I was shocked, and amazed, and very surprised when they told I’d had a heart attack.” 

Until that point, his diet had consisted largely of food consumed on the run, eaten either at meetings or on the way to or from meetings, a dinner of meat and three vegetables, or meat and salad in summer, and “probably a few too many beers.” 

His physical activity levels were virtually nonexistent. 

“My activity, other than doing things around the house, was nil.” 

Since his heart attack, he has made changes to his diet, and he is starting to make changes to his physical activity levels, as his recovery allows. But he is looking forward to the support from his Green Prescription advisor on that journey. 

“(I’ve joined Green Prescription) for two reasons. For my own benefit, I want to make sure that I am living that healthy lifestyle.” 

"The other thing is to raise awareness to others that you have got to have a healthy lifestyle. You don’t want to be leaving your kids or grandkids early. Let’s just get all together and get active and eat healthily.” 

Article added: Monday 12 April 2021