Heart disease tops the list of the leading causes of death in the United States ; having heart disease can, in turn, lead to a heart attack. Fortunately, medicine has advanced to the point that not all heart attacks or related events are fatal.

Take the case of former Vice President Dick Cheney, a man who experienced his first heart attack at age 37 and lived the rest of his life dealing with the realities of heart disease. (For perspective, men typically aren't at risk of having a first heart attack until after they reach age 65.)

Cheney died when he was 84 years old, which is more than 8 years longer than the average life expectancy for a man living in America (per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ). He experienced a total of five heart attacks; notably, the fou

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