When executives go under the knife

Co-founder, Amway

DeVos underwent his first bypass in 1983, during his tenure as co-COO of Amway, and then in December 1992, he had to have a triple bypass. He retired and five years later received a heart transplant.

Describing the transplant in his book, Hope From My Heart, DeVos wrote, "The odds of survival were stacked against me. Up until that moment, I had called the shots for the challenges in my life. I usually set the course. Sink or swim, the responsibility had most often been mine. But this time, I most certainly was not in control."

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