“I’m very lucky to be alive”

Published: 21 May 2025

Pete’s dangerously high blood pressure went unnoticed — until it nearly killed him. At just 44, he suffered an aortic dissection, a life-threatening tear in the body’s main artery. Now, he wants others to understand how important it is to take high blood pressure seriously.

Looking back, Pete says the warning signs were there. One of the biggest came at a Men’s Health event at Pukekohe Park Raceway, where participants were invited as guests for lunch, go karts and other activities. A highlight of the event was being given the opportunity to be a passenger in a V8 race around the track with professional race drivers, followed by a blood pressure check immediately afterwards, provided by a team of Heart Foundation nurses volunteering trackside to further promote heart health. 

When the nurse who carried out Pete’s reading saw the results she said “Gosh that is one of the highest readings I have ever seen. Don’t panic as it may well be elevated from the V8 race but if you are still around in five minutes pop back and see me for a second test.”   

Pete said, “I laughed and joked, ‘If I’ve only got five minutes to live, I’m going to enjoy myself,’ and walked off without giving it a second thought. He said it was the biggest mistake and regret of his life. 

There were other signs too in the week or so following the event at Pukekohe — like breathlessness when walking uphill and climbing stairs while on a work trip in Australia, and again while sitting still on a plane. 

Then, on an April morning in 2015, everything changed. 

“I got out of bed and felt very strange. I walked into the bathroom and called out to my wife that something was not right and to call an ambulance” Pete recalls. 

Paramedics arrived and ran tests but found nothing alarming. Pete was still conscious and talking, so they took him to hospital without lights or sirens. But in the ambulance things escalated quickly. 

“Luckily, traffic was light at 8 am on that morning and when I arrived in Auckland Hospital there were brilliant people who decided to send me for a CT scan and realised that I was having a dissecting aortic aneurysm.” 

“I passed out. The next thing I remember, I was being prepped for surgery, and someone was holding a clipboard saying, ‘Sign here or you’re going to die.’” 

Pete then underwent surgery and had an aortic valve replacement plus a graft to repair the torn section of his aorta. His chances of survival were just 15–20%. 

Two years later, he underwent more surgery with four stents and rerouted blood flow to the arch of his aorta via a carotid vascular bypass. 

Now, Pete monitors his blood pressure closely at home and gets his blood viscosity checked regularly at the chemist. 

“I take it seriously now — I have to,” he says. “Knowing my numbers gives me peace of mind. I just wish I’d done it sooner.” 

Emotionally, the experience has changed him. 

“I’m more sensitive, more empathetic — and sometimes more short-tempered,” he says. “But every time I get wound up, I remind myself: I’m lucky to be here.” 

His message is simple: don’t ignore high blood pressure. 

“You might feel fine, like I did, but high blood pressure can be silently doing damage. Don’t brush off those warnings — they could save your life.”