Connecting Seniors
Friendship and Fitness are the key to a good life with Philip Basche
Philip Basche (R)
At 51, Philip survived a massive undiagnosed heart attack and chose to spend his reprieve in service to others.
Kintsugi Studio
Connecting Seniors
Philip Basche (R)
At 51, Philip survived a massive undiagnosed heart attack and chose to spend his reprieve in service to others.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
At 51, Philip Basche had no idea he'd just survived a massive heart attack. He was getting a routine checkup for a life insurance policy when doctors found the damage on his ECG. Five hours of surgery later, he woke to learn he'd had seven bypasses. That single day became a hinge point. Instead of asking how much time he had left, Philip asked what his life should mean.
Loss had shaped him long before the heart attack. He lost his father to alcohol at 14, though the real fracture came at 21 when his brother, who'd become his father figure, died of cancer. His ex-wife's alcoholism cost him a marriage and, he believes, contributed to the cardiac crisis that followed. But each time, the same people showed up. Friends he'd known since childhood became his family. A phone call from four of them while he lay in an ICU in Finland lifted him completely out of despair and showed him what everyone needs: somebody there to listen without judgment.
Philip spent the next two decades building a life of service. He joined boards supporting disadvantaged young people, learning from a teacher that respect is the one word that matters. In 2016, he reluctantly took Lifeline crisis supporter training. It changed everything. For the past decade, he's been mentoring young men and answering crisis calls, finding that a simple thank you from someone whose life he's touched is reward enough. He credits two things for keeping him alive and well: the friends who've stayed beside him, and the exercise that's been part of his life since he turned 30.
Philip's message is direct: talk about it, reach out, ask. Most people will say yes.
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