A simple scan could save a life.

"It's just a pain—that's not going to happen to me," said John of Jamestown before he received a heart scan. John has a long family history of heart disease. The first step to reducing your risk: Listen to your body and focus on how you feel. The second: Listen to your loved ones and their concerns about your health. A son spoke, a father listened. With one gift card and one scan, a life was saved.

John was working in the yard for almost an hour when he called his son, Zac, to help him trim the trees. John was feeling more tired than usual and needed a little help. As the two worked together in the yard, Zac noticed his father was having trouble breathing. Zac knew about their family history and felt it was time to help his dad take action.

As a Christmas gift, Zac gave John a heart scan gift card. Zac had a feeling his father might be upset with the suggestion and hesitant to follow through with the scan, but he knew it was worth the shot. When John opened the gift card on Christmas morning, his mood shifted. "I told you guys, if I didn't feel well, I would take care of this myself."

Although John was frustrated by his son's gift at first, he knew how important his health and happiness was to his family. Soon after, he booked an appointment at Hendricks Regional Health.

John's heart scan indicated that he had a 99% blockage in his arteries and would need heart bypass surgery. The heart scan gift card was the best gift John received.

"That little card, my son, really saved my life."

Family history doesn't have to repeat itself.

"He was always my idol. He's always been my hero." After Zac of Brownsburg heard the news about his father needing open heart surgery, he was terrified. "I decided that I don't want me, or my little girls, to be in the same position later down the road."

While the disease exists hereditarily, Zac wasn't going to let family history repeat itself. He took charge of his family's eating habits and changed them entirely. He changed his own nutritional and exercise habits, too, and lost 70 pounds. Zac planned to do everything he could to modify the risk factors for himself and his family.

"My kids are the world. Everything I do, I do for my kids. If I could do anything to make their lives better, than I'm going to do that."

Ever since his father's surgery, Zac and John take walks together every morning to help keep their hearts healthy and happy. To return the favor of his everlasting Christmas gift, John gave Zac a heart scan gift card for his birthday.