Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando opened up to the media Tuesday about the heart attack he suffered on Sept. 5 while playing basketball.
Jawando, the Democratic nominee for the county’s executive, returned to the council offices and spoke publicly about his health.
“It’s really great to be back in the building,” Jawando, 43, said, addressing a room full of reporters. “I’m doing well. I’m on track to a full recovery.”
The meeting with reporters was to have occurred on Sept. 21 but was canceled. He told the group that he “just wasn’t ready.” It was rescheduled for Tuesday.
“I feel good, but I do want to be clear, I’m pacing myself,” Jawando said. He added that he will start campaigning in person again with events scheduled for Saturday, but at a reduced pace.
He thanked his family, friends and the thousands of residents who reached out to wish him well.
“The main thing I keep coming back to is just how blessed I am,” Jawando said. “(I am) blessed to have an amazing family: My wife Michelle and our four kids.”
He also said he was thankful for his friends with whom he was playing basketball in Georgetown, who recognized the symptoms of a heart attack and called for an ambulance. He was transported to the George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent a stent implant.
“I have the unique opportunity to have been operated on by the same guy who fixed Dick Cheney’s heart,” he said laughing, referring to the late former vice president. “Funny enough, I would find out later.”
He urged the public to get regular screenings and stay on top of their health issues.
“A moment like this changes your perspective,” Jawando said. “It makes you think about the people you love, the fact that you get to still be here with them, about the community that I get to serve that I’m very blessed to serve and the work I still want to do.”
Jawando faces Republican Esther Wells in the Nov. 3 election.
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