Gord and Sue are champions of Cardiac Rehab
Gord Zimmerman and partner Sue Ferguson are the perfect – if unexpected – poster couple for the Ross Memorial Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
Both appear exceptionally healthy. They’re active; in fact, Sue is a physiotherapist. But both are heart attack survivors, and with typical tales.
Gord was alone on his sailboat when his heart attack hit six years ago. But he didn’t realize that’s what was happening.
“I was coughing and sweating,” he says. “Later, someone told me a lot of people had the flu, so I figured that’s what I had.”
He was wrong.
Six months later, Gord was getting checked out by his family physician and the doctor asked him when he had his heart attack. Twenty-five percent of his heart had stopped working.
“I was in complete denial,” Gord says. “I figured my doctor got me mixed up with someone else.”
Gord had to have a pacemaker/defibrillator put in. He was also registered in the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at the Ross Memorial Hospital.
“It saved my life,” he says. “Otherwise, I’m sure I would have had another heart attack.”
Gord learned how to exercise safely; he also cut the salt out of his diet, ate healthier and quit smoking. “I knew I needed to live a healthier lifestyle if I wanted to continue being active and live longer.”
With the guidance of the Cardiac Rehab team and his heart specialist, Gord’s health has improved ten fold and he is more active than ever.
When Sue had a heart attack in January, she says she was also in complete denial.
“It happened Saturday morning after I was curling, but I didn’t go to the hospital until Sunday afternoon,” she says. “I was nauseated, sweating … it felt like the flu.”
Sue began her Cardiac Rehab sessions in late March. As a physiotherapist and an avid swimmer, she was surprised to learn that she needed to increase her ‘dry land, weight-bearing’ work outs.
“I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough when I exercised. Now I know what ‘brisk’ really means.”
“It’s so important for patients not to ignore or deny warning symptoms,” said Sue Evans, Physiotherapist on the Cardiac Rehab team. “Most of our patients look back at the weeks or months before their event and recognize symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, pressure or tightness in the chest, arm, upper back or jaw, or discomfort with activity. Any of these symptoms should be reported to your
Doctor or Nurse Practitioner right away.”
The Walk of Life
Both Gord and Sue are eager to participate in the 12th annual ‘Walk of Life’ on May 1st. They’ve done it together since Gord’s heart attack six years ago, but this year it means even more following Sue’s episode.
“I knew when I was walking with Gord that we were helping to raise money for the Cardiac Rehab program, but now when I walk on the treadmills and use the equipment in the gym here, I can really see where the money goes.”
The “Walk of Life” raises funds to ensure that the Ross Memorial Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program has the exercise equipment it needs to serve the community.
This year’s walk takes place on Friday, May 1st. The official warm-up begins at 1:45pm and the walk starts at 2pm.
New this year is the ‘Treadmill Challenge’ in the hospital’s main lobby. RMH employees are encouraged to challenge a colleague to go the furthest distance in 15 minutes. The Treadmill Challenge runs from 11:00am-12:45pm prior to the walk.
The local media are invited to attend.
Cardiac Rehabilitation at RMH
The Cardiac Rehabilitation team assists people who have had a heart attack, heart surgery, symptoms of heart disease, or those who are at high risk of developing heart disease. The program provides education, exercise, monitoring and support for participants and their families.