Will Jawando, County Councilmember and Democratic nominee for County Executive, returned to in-person council duties on Tuesday after he had a heart attack on Sept. 5.
Jawando said he feels good and is on track to a full recovery — “But I do want to be clear, I am pacing myself,” he said during a media briefing at the council building in Rockville.
“I have to take my time. I have to make sure I’m eating, that my blood sugar doesn’t get too low. I have to make sure I don’t jump out of my seat too quick.”
Jawando plans to get back on the campaign trail this weekend.
He is sticking to his decision to not do a one-on-one debate with Esther Wells, Republican nominee for County Executive — “She’s raised less than $20,000. It’s not a viable campaign.”
Jawando does think the heart attack is related to his campaign efforts and stress.
“This was the first campaign where my kids had to go to school and people were singing to them ‘say no to Jawando’ because of the ads, so it was a different level of stress,” he said.
The heart attack was a “wake-up call” in a way, and he is confident he will come back stronger and will achieve a better work-life balance.
Heart disease is the top cause of death in the U.S., Jawando noted. For African Americans, the mortality rate from heart disease is higher.
He noted “I’m a former college athlete, I’m not overweight. I don’t have diabetes, I don’t have high blood pressure,” and he still had a heart attack at 43 years old. He said it’s a reminder to stay on top of things like diet and exercise, and to know the levels of things in the body that could increase risk, like triglycerides.
“Schedule your check-ups,” Jawando said. He encouraged people to join him on the Mediterranean diet.
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