Story highlights A heart attack occurs when oxygen-enriched blood flowing to the heart muscle is cut off or blocked

Most heart attacks begin slowly with chest discomfort and gradually intensify

(CNN) The president of the American Heart Association, Dr. John Warner, had a minor heart attack Monday during the organization's scientific conference taking place in Anaheim, California, according to a press release.

Warner, CEO of UT Southwestern University Hospitals in Dallas, was taken to a local hospital where doctors inserted a stent to open a clogged artery. Warner is recovering and doing well, according to the Heart Association.

Prior to the attack, the 52-year-old practicing cardiologist delivered a Sunday speech where he talked about the effects of heart disease on his family. Both his father and his father's father had heart bypass surgery while in their 60s, he told the audience. He also lost his maternal grandfather and a great grandfather to heart disease.

"After my son was born and we were introducing him to his extended family, I realized something very disturbing: There were no old men on either side of my family. None," he told his audience. "All the branches of our family tree cut short by cardiovascular disease."

Warnings and risks

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