Best wishes to Gary and his loved ones.
BTW, question everything, every details in your medical care. Malpractice is one of the US's top killers, so one can never be too careful. My family has been hit by this more than once.
And, if your doc doesn't order radical changes in your diet, then he's a quack and you should both find a new one, and do your own reading on dietary factors in vascular disease.
Personally, I suggest getting literature from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.