The most important thing however, was that he had been living with deep emotional pain since his early twenties, and like most of us, swept it under the carpet of sport and beer. All the little disappointments, shattered dreams, lost opportunities, decisions made with the head instead of the heart, all the anger and pain that he pushed down inside himself, feeling too alone or too guilty or too afraid to appear weak to share it with anyone. His heart literally could not take it anymore, and so it swelled, shuddered and stopped.

There is nothing like holding the once lively and smiling, now blackened face of a heart-attack victim in your hands to drive home the truth of how easily we take our bodies and our loved ones for granted. The one thing we can be sure of in life, is death. The other is love. It is our duty and our privilege to fill every day with as much love as we can, towards ourselves and to those around us. Treat yourself with love and respect and you will be healthier, you will automatically treat others in the same way and you will be open to receiving more love and healing than you ever thought possible.     

My dear brother, I salute you for showing me the gift of gratitude - for what I have learned and experienced in life, for my health and happiness, for those who love me and for being inspired by your traffic-stopping smile for 34 years.   

Glenn-Douglas has been a wellness practitioner for over seven years and is a very popular life coach and counsellor.