Words hold such wonderful power. But they can also be a double-edged sword.

With that in mind, let me talk about my Uncle Innocent, a 40-year-old lawyer who was awakened from his sleep by an intense pain in his chest. He quickly made his way to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.

Angel, the physician who examined my uncle, found no abnormalities. After making sure that my uncle had no history of heart disease, she said that the pain may have simply resulted from a cramp.

“But the pain pierced like a sword!” protested my uncle.

The doctor tried to allay his fears, telling him that a heart attack typically begins with a crushing pain and not a sharp prick. I also tried to pacify my uncle and asked the doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Angel continued by asking him if he has ever had spells of dizziness, nausea, sudden weakness, and difficulty in breathing. My uncle said he has never had such symptoms, so the doctor simply advised him to return in the morning for further testing.

My uncle went home lethargic and brooding with his head down. Just an hour later, he felt a sharp pain in his chest again. He frantically returned to the emergency room, looking paler and more worried than ever.

With the same composure that she had on our first visit, Angel listened to my uncle’s heart once again. It was beating fast, but considering the worried state that my uncle was in, it was quite normal. My uncle also underwent an electrocardiogram test. This time, instead of being sent home, he was admitted to the hospital for observation - mostly because he was apparently distressed over this health scare.

The doctor, surrounded by a medical committee, carefully reviewed the EKG and diagnosed that my uncle’s heart muscle “had suffered minor damage.”

I understand that a healthy heart can compensate for minor damages. But without letting the doctors finish their explanation, my uncle’s eyes grew angry. He broke out and called the whole thing outrageous. He accused the doctors of medical malpractice for not spotting his heart problem right away during his first trip to the emergency room. “You do not care about my health!” my uncle yelled. “I could have died!”

In his rage, he threatened to initiate a lawsuit. He quickly picked up his phone and proceeded to call his fellow lawyers. My uncle had lost control. He was lost in his own fury.

While still ranting on the phone, my uncle suddenly collapsed.

The nurse could not detect his heartbeat. They used a defibrillator to resuscitate him, but it was unsuccessful.

An autopsy ruled the cause of death as myocardial rupture: part of a necrotic heart tissue had been torn as a result of a violent spasm of the coronary arteries.

The autopsy results also showed that the arteries of my uncle were perfectly clean. The heart showed no intrinsic defect (no faulty valves or signs of infection). In other words, my uncle was healthy...until he decided to break his own heart.

I never thought that words could kill. A phrase such as “minor damage to the heart” does not usually nor directly cause cardiac arrest.

Unfortunately, in my uncle’s case, it did.