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Animator Sheldon Cohen on his life-altering heart attack

Sheldon Cohen (The Sweater) has returned to film with a witty, visceral short movie called My Heart Attack.
"Heart disease is for other people," says Sheldon Cohen in his latest film, The Heart Attack. His dismissive attitude almost cost him his life. (Sheldon Cohen/NFB)

Heart attacks don't always happen at convenient moments. One might strike, for instance, while your wife is busy giving mouth-to-mouth to a stranger's dog. 

Sheldon Cohen remembers his heart attack as if it were a dream sequence, but the surreal and bizzarly-timed event had a very real impact on his life. The Montreal animator — whose work includes the classic Canadian short, The Sweater — has returned to film with a witty, visceral short movie called My Heart Attack.

Cohen joins guest host Gill Deacon to share the lessons he learned from invasive, open-heart surgery and why he wants more Canadians to understand the realities of heart-related diseases (especially if they, like him, think heart attacks only happen to "other people"). 

WEB EXTRA | Watch two clips of The Heart Attack below. Have you or someone you know experienced a near-death experience? Share your story in the comments below.