It has been revealed that Auckland Mayor Phil Goff suffered a heart attack on the weekend.
The former Labour Party leader told NZME he underwent two surgeries after being rushed to Middlemore Hospital on Saturday morning.
The 64-year-old said one of his arteries was 75 percent blocked and if that happened in another main artery the outcome could have been a different story.
It all began after persisting aches and a bad sleep on a Friday night.
"I knew the family history and what some of the symptoms were and thought it might be a minor thing," he said.
Yet a scan suggested he needed immediate attention and was sent by ambulance to Middlemore where he underwent two angioplasty surgeries.
Mr Goff said the surgeries were a success and was already feeling great on Saturday afternoon.
"I am back to normal and, in fact, will be better than normal in a couple of weeks."
In the interview Goff talked about his family's history of heart disease, a condition which claimed the life of his older brother Warren in 2007 at the age of 58.
"I should go out and buy a Lotto ticket. I was pretty lucky in regards to my brother and, for that matter, Len Brown."
Former Auckland Mayor Len Brown suffered a heart attack in 2008 but returned to work several months later.
Angioplasty surgery aims to widen the narrowed and obstructed arteries or veins so the blood can flow normally again.
Newshub.
