Cardiac Rehab Patient Is All Heart
Posted on
Oct 27, 2015
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AS DWIGHT HAPEMAN LAY IN A LUTHERAN MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITAL
BED RECOVERING FROM TRIPLE BYPASS SURGERY, he promised himself
three things: (1) Hed get well again. (2) Hed volunteer to help other cardiac
patients. (3) Hed meet his partner in life. All loft y goals, but he was feeling lucky.
Hapeman, of Aurora, knew what he had to do to get well, because hed
done it just a few months before. In March 2007, a routine EKG had revealed
damage to his heart from a previous, silent heart attack. A subsequent cardiac
catheterization and stenting procedure revealed that two of his arteries were
significantly blocked.
WAKE-UP CALL
I was completely shocked, he says. I never had any symptoms, and I thought I
was healthy. But I knew I had to take this seriously.
Hapeman committed to Lutherans Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program,
where he participated in monitored exercise sessions with a caring, knowledgeable
staff; classes on nutrition, stress management and other health topics; and
support groups. He lost almost 50 pounds and was feeling great.
And then, in October, he had a massive heart attack. This time, I had all of
the typical symptomsnausea, chest pain and breathlessness, he says. After
the emergency triple bypass saved his life, Hapeman recommitted to outpatient
rehab to get healthy again.
PROMISES KEPT
Today, Hapeman, 63, has kept all three promises. Hes healthy and fi t, weighing
in at 160 pounds. He leads Lutherans cardiac support group and visits patients
at hospitals throughout Denver as a volunteer with Mended Hearts, the oldest
national cardiac support group in the U.S.
Visiting other cardiac rehab programs has given him a new appreciation for
Lutheran. The level of personalized care that patients receive at Lutheran is truly
special, he says.
Promise No. 3 was fulfilled on a beach in Fort Lauderdale in January 2011, when
he married his wife, Maggie (they're shown together above). Coincidentally,
Maggie is a former cardiac nurse and is now a hospice nurse in Aurora.
There is life after a heart attackeven two heart attacks
MENDING HEARTS
To learn more about Lutheran Medical Centers cardiac rehabilitation programs,
please call 303-403-3604
Editors Note: This article was submitted by Lutheran Medical Center. We can be reached at 303-430-3059.
BED RECOVERING FROM TRIPLE BYPASS SURGERY, he promised himself
three things: (1) Hed get well again. (2) Hed volunteer to help other cardiac
patients. (3) Hed meet his partner in life. All loft y goals, but he was feeling lucky.
Hapeman, of Aurora, knew what he had to do to get well, because hed
done it just a few months before. In March 2007, a routine EKG had revealed
damage to his heart from a previous, silent heart attack. A subsequent cardiac
catheterization and stenting procedure revealed that two of his arteries were
significantly blocked.
WAKE-UP CALL
I was completely shocked, he says. I never had any symptoms, and I thought I
was healthy. But I knew I had to take this seriously.
Hapeman committed to Lutherans Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program,
where he participated in monitored exercise sessions with a caring, knowledgeable
staff; classes on nutrition, stress management and other health topics; and
support groups. He lost almost 50 pounds and was feeling great.
And then, in October, he had a massive heart attack. This time, I had all of
the typical symptomsnausea, chest pain and breathlessness, he says. After
the emergency triple bypass saved his life, Hapeman recommitted to outpatient
rehab to get healthy again.
PROMISES KEPT
Today, Hapeman, 63, has kept all three promises. Hes healthy and fi t, weighing
in at 160 pounds. He leads Lutherans cardiac support group and visits patients
at hospitals throughout Denver as a volunteer with Mended Hearts, the oldest
national cardiac support group in the U.S.
Visiting other cardiac rehab programs has given him a new appreciation for
Lutheran. The level of personalized care that patients receive at Lutheran is truly
special, he says.
Promise No. 3 was fulfilled on a beach in Fort Lauderdale in January 2011, when
he married his wife, Maggie (they're shown together above). Coincidentally,
Maggie is a former cardiac nurse and is now a hospice nurse in Aurora.
There is life after a heart attackeven two heart attacks
MENDING HEARTS
To learn more about Lutheran Medical Centers cardiac rehabilitation programs,
please call 303-403-3604
Editors Note: This article was submitted by Lutheran Medical Center. We can be reached at 303-430-3059.