Essence of a Man: A Memoir

Ten years ago, we published a historical narrative of Brown Greene with memoirs from his four adult children. For this Father’s day, we re-issued and updated the book for the Greene family, but the story has resonance for other reasons. Creating this memoir was cathartic for John, as his dad died from a sudden heart attack when John was only 12. Although there are many wonderful traits John attributes to his parents, he also inherited heart disease. Given his professional background in wellness and as a cancer survivor in his 30s, John understood early on the benefits of daily exercise. Once he reached 50, he had his first stress test. Knowing that his father died at 56 of a heart attack, coronary care was critical for him. As a home chef focused on scratch cooking, he has been able to monitor his diet. But diet and exercise alone can’t combat our heredity. Understanding family history gives us a foundation of who we are, but looking into our family medical history gives us tools to potentially better our own health and well-being.

EssenceofaMan2015 (pdf)