Official Luthiers Forum!

It is with sadness that I am informing this community that we lost one of our own. Eric Mathre joined the forum in February of 2006 and on December 6 2009 he died from a heart attack. I recently heard from Eric's wife as he was in on the group buy of 2A tops. Here is the note from Eric's wife:

"Hi, Shane,thanks for your quick response. Eric had a heart attack on Dec,6th. I found him dead on the floor next to one of our bathroom early morning that day. There was no medical history,no warning,no sign at all.He was up early that day packing for a business trip next day and was ready for a routine farmer's market trip. It must had been really fast because I did not hear anything. Everybody who knows him just could not accept it.Yes you may let the Official Luthier Forum know Eric's issue,I know he really enjoyed being in this group."

Eric was in his mid 50's. His last post on the OLF was just the day before!

Please send your best wishes towards his family and friends.

Shane

_________________
Canada

Sad news indeed!
We must all be vigilant with our health.

Mike

_________________
Mike Collins

Sad news indeed . May his soul be safe .

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Eric will be missed - very sad...

Oh, no, not again...
So sad when a member of the "Guild" passes. May he rest in peace.

Very Sad.May he rest in peace.

Wow... that is very sad.

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

You just never know.We`ve got to live it to it`s fullest.Very sad to go so young.
SKIN

_________________
James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I'm very sorry to hear this.
I wish his family well.

I work in the heart industry, if there is such a thing. These types of heart attacks can come on so suddenly without any warning at all. It happens equally to skinny and fat people, both low and high cholesterol levels. It is one of the mysteries of the heart. We are currently exploring ways to predict this. We call it vulnerable plaque. I could go into details, but will spare everyone that.
There may have been some warning signs, but if there are they might have been subtle. However, warning signs are often ignored. President Carter just had two stents and it is rumoured that my company made them, although with HIPA laws no one knows for sure and if I knew, I couldn't tell you.

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like pressure or just pain
Shortness of breath is another symptom. If you experience this doing activities that normally wouldn't cause a shortness of breath, you should consider it a nice warning to have it checked out. This may occur without chest pain or pressure and is a indication that you have a partially occluded artery.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
These are the most common symptoms. Please make sure you know these and check yourself in immediately if you have any. We should also be able to recognize these symptoms in others. Women's symptoms are different and a most people do not know that heart disease is the number one killer of women. As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out (tell a doctor about your symptoms). Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1 or your emergency response number.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Sad news indeed.

Thanks Steve for giving us some of the beta on this subject.

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Very sad. Thanks for the info, Steve. It might have saved a friend of mine who died years ago, if he'd known.

Pat

_________________
formerly known around here as burbank
_________________

http://www.patfosterguitars.com

It is very sad indeed. We need to keep his family in our thoughts.

Time, is critical. I just had a neighbor, a woman, who ignored back pain for 24 hours before going to the hospital. She had had a massive heart attack, and ended up spending 29 days in the hospital, before, finally, passing away. The doctors all told her husband that they'd have had a good chance if she had acted on the first day, particularly as soon as she started having the back pain. She thought she'd hurt her back somehow, and didn't understand that heart attacks in women manifest themselves in different ways from men.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

The studies are pretty clear that a daily baby aspirin can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke significantly. Treating high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and tobacco abuse can all reduce one's risk of heart disease. (check with your doctor)
Having been a cardiology PA for the last 10 years, I have seen it all- a vegetarian, yoga-practicing runner with horrible coronary disease, and junk-food consuming ,overweight, couch-potato smokers clean as a whistle. It doesn't always make sense.

_________________
It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

Whatever the case, get some physical excersize (check with ur doc as needed). A sensible, progressive program can add years and vitality. Me? I run long distances and I love it. Find something you love to do that gets ur heart rate up to 80% (besides reaching for the next brew:))