People in my condition don’t just walk into the ER. They are transported by EMS, usually clinging to life by a thread. Instead, I was calm, coherent, and physically holding my own. I was breathing without supplemental oxygen, my oxygen saturation level was at 95 percent, and my blood pressure was normal.
At this point, the doctors were a bit confused. Perhaps that explains the seemingly endless parade of doctors, nurses, and specialists who visited my bedside during my three days in ICU. They all had lots of questions, but only one, my new cardiologist, actually had an answer.
Among others were multiple questions about my lifestyle: Do you smoke, drink, take any medications? Do you exercise regularly? What do you do? I told them I was a retired SWAT officer who still maintained an intense exercise regimen.
Most of the patients coming into the ER with double pulmonary embolisms are often older, overweight, smokers, and/or out of shape, I was told. I had none of those things working against me, but most importantly in my cardiologist’s eyes was the fact that I was in very good shape. That allowed my lungs to immediately start to compensate for the loss of capacity, and for my heart to handle the strain it had been put under for so long.
The bottom line? My being in good physical condition had saved my life. Years of workouts had paid an unexpected dividend. P.O. Wenger would be proud.
A Lifelong Commitment
I started the police academy 30 years ago, and early on I learned a valuable lesson, one that would stay with me for life. The first day of the academy, we were introduced to many of our instructors, one of whom was to be our physical fitness instructor. He was an imposing man with a strong command presence and a physique cut from stone. His first words from the podium still ring in my head: “When you decided to become a cop, you lost the right to be out of shape.”
For the next 10 weeks, we started every single morning with a full hour of intense PT and DT sessions. Upon graduation, I was in the best shape of my life. But more importantly, I left with an appreciation of why I had to maintain this new physical discipline.
I believed that every day, people were counting on me to be able to do my job. Most days, that was as mundane as driving a car and pushing a pencil. Some days, however, that may entail running down some bad guy, or fighting for my life, or my partner’s. I had an obligation to be in condition to do that.
When I joined SWAT, the discipline carried over as the responsibility grew. Now, a whole team was counting on me to be able to carry my weight and do my job, whatever that may be.
So, every day throughout my career, I made a commitment to live right and do the work to stay in shape, or be willing to give up the position. I was no gym rat, but my lifestyle incorporated tim
e to run, cycle, lift weights, and do CrossFit routines.
When I retired, there was no longer a career-driven reason to continue to push myself. In fact, in the months leading up to my last day at work, I often blissfully entertained the thought that I could finally stop running, and could cut back on the gym time. But my life didn’t end with my time behind a badge.
I have heard the statistics about the high mortality rates for retired cops. After working all of those years, my family deserved a high quality of life from me beyond retirement, and I was not going to shortchange them. So the workouts continued, and my personal fitness standards remained the same. In the end, the time, sweat, and sacrifice paid off.
Back at It
I won’t bore you with the details of the rest of my two weeks in the hospital. Let’s just say it’s an adventure I don’t want to repeat, ever. Although, I have one story I want to share in a moment.
The heart issue turned out to be a viral infection that had nothing to do with the clotting problem. The clots and the infection were aggressively treated, and I was finally well enough to go home. When the doctor said I was going to be discharged, I had two questions for him: When can I go back to traveling and teaching, and when can I go back to working out? He cleared me to do both right away. Good, because I had work to do. I was on the bike the next day.
Dr. Doom
My attending pulmonary specialist in the hospital earned the nickname “Doctor Doom” because he seemed to always be the harbinger of bad news and worst case scenarios. During his daily visits, he almost appeared disappointed that I was not wheezing and withering away. He knew about my fitness routine, and also credited it with my survival.
However, he was quick to assure me that I would never be able to run four miles again. “You may be able to run a mile someday, but you won’t be able to run four miles. You probably have too much damage.” Those words burned in my ears for the duration of my hospital stay. And they drove me through every daily workout I did after getting home.
I probably pushed harder than I should have, but six weeks later, the day before my first follow-up visit with Dr. Doom, I ran my four-mile course, and felt just fine. I made a point of telling him that the next day.
Sweat Equity
So, why do we work out? The reasons for maintaining a fit lifestyle are simple and redundant. As a police officer, being in good shape will enable you to do your job safely and effectively. As a SWAT officer and a sniper, being in good shape will enable you to do your job safely and effectively. For those of you lucky enough to reach retirement, being and remaining in good shape will enable you to enjoy a higher quality of life, for a lot longer. And after all, isn’t that why you worked all of those years? For this, your family and friends will thank you.
Find a reason to motivate yourself, and make a commitment to do the work necessary to stay alive and to live well. The look on Julie’s face when I was discharged was worth every rep, every mile, and every drop of sweat.
And of course, you’ll also still look good naked.
Derrick Bartlett is a former Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) PD SWAT team member and sniper who now trains police officers in firearms and SWAT tactics and serves as director of Snipercraft.
