Yankees legend reveals the tragic health lesson he learned from his old school dad

Former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams was at the height of his career, winning World Series Championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999.But behind the glory, he carried a heavy burden: his dying father.“My dad was our superhero.He was the guy that taught me how to play baseball, he taught me how to play the guitar, he was outgoing, athletic and always working around the house and fixing cars,” Williams said, describing him as an “indestructible force of nature” at Hearst’s second annual Men’s Health Lab in June. It started with a dry cough that wouldn’t go away.

For five years, doctor after doctor misdiagnosed him, often citing pneumonia.Finally, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis — an interstitial lung disease (ILD) that causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs.“We didn’t know anything about it and we really thought that there was going to be something we could do,” Williams said.

“I said, ‘Yeah, we’ll get over this.’” But the family eventually learned there was no cure.“I was increasingly frustrated and devastated for our family; he was just getting worse and worse,” Williams shared.While he tried to support his dad during the season, the primary care fell to his mother and brother in Puerto Rico.

“It was devastating to see him become a ghost of what he was, and just slowly deteriorate until the point he was bedridden.”Williams reflected on his father’s “old school” approach, which led him to procrastinate seeking medical help — something Williams said exacerbated his condition.He’s certainly not unique in that regard.

Women live longer than men around the world — in the US, men live around 76 years, while women live till 81.While men certainly have some “biological vulnerabilities,” Dr.

David Shusterman says behavior is a major factor.“The bigger problem is that men tend to practice reactive medicine.They wait until something is obviously wrong,” Shusterman, a urologist at U...