I don’t have to attend every argument I’m invited to. ~Author Unknown
A teenage boy received a pacemaker after he suffered a heart attack caused by cocaine abuse.
Tom Bertram, of Portsmouth, England, was spending over $300 a week on cocaine. Since his heart attack, Bertram said he has learned his lesson.
“The doctors said if I took cocaine again I could die, but I’d never do that,” said Bertram, who recently turned 18. “I know I’m lucky to be alive.”
Bertram said he began experimenting with marijuana at the age of 14. At his 17th birthday party, he was tempted to try cocaine and quickly became hooked.
“Coke gave me such a buzz and I liked the confidence it gave me,” he said. “I never considered the risks.”
The cocaine use left Bertram with damaged coronary arteries. The implantation of the pacemaker ensures his heart rate will not drop dangerously low again.