Aspire

Well known in the Fennimore area for his 30+ years as a dentist, “Doc” felt his purpose in life was to serve his country, community, and care for his patients. Over the course of health issues in the past decade, ironically the tables turned for Doc and he found himself needing to be on the receiving end of care instead of providing care. His patients would comment on how thankful they were for his kindness and his caring nature. From saving a tooth to saving many smiles, now he reflects on how grateful he is for the many people who saved his life.

“For the past 20 years I’ve had atrial fibrillation. About 10 years ago I had an aortic valve replaced and a couple years ago I had a cardiac arrest and my heart stopped. We have some friends who built a private campground in Mauston. I don’t really remember any of the day when this happened. Supposedly I had breakfast with my buddy. (I don't remember that.) Apparently, I went down in the gravel and my buddy's daughter-in-law - she thought I was in my camper and yelled and I didn’t respond, and so she yelled for her sister-in-law who is a cardiac nurse. Emily came out and started CPR right away. When I fell, my Apple Watch sent a message to 911 with my GPS coordinates. The interesting thing about Mauston is it's in two counties, so both Juneau and Adams County responded with rescue squads. They started fluids, and all the other things to keep me alive and then I was med flighted to Madison. The weird part about all this is that the intensivist told my wife, she said I looked at the MRI and he appears braindead to me. She said 'I'm not a neurologist, you need to talk to him but please I would suggest going home and planning his funeral' - which they did. The next morning the neurologist called my wife and said I don't think he's braindead, I want to repeat the MRI after which she saw her that night and she said nothing wrong with his brain. I don’t know why he's not waking up. We’re going to give him a week on life-support.’ Three or four days after that I came around. It was a strange sensation. I had no idea where I was or why I was there, but my son and daughter explained it to me. And I thought to myself…OK!”

“After my cardiac arrest, which was a couple years ago, was my first encounter with Grant Regional. They have such an outstanding cardiac rehab team here.” Tonya Bainbridge, Registered Nurse and Jen Wagner, Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional (CCRP)/ Licensed Athletic Trainer, combine their clinical skills and exercise background to provide patients with expert knowledge and compassionate cardiac care. “Together, they are an outstanding team.”

Jen Wagner, ATC, Cardiac Rehab coordinator explains her role within Cardiac Rehab program, "I work primarily within the Cardiac Rehab program in the hospital. I get to coordinate patient care, address their personal risk factors and help them with overall cardiac health. My goal is to help them get back to their prior level of activity."

Tonya Bainbridge, RN adds "My day-to-day here in cardiac rehab is helping patients through various types of cardiac events that they may have had in their life. They're learning to trust their heart again, regain their sense of self, who they are, and where they’re going in this life. We assist them and help them through that journey as to how they can get back there."

Jen adds, "Doc has previously been through our program and was highly motivated at that time, knew that he was probably going to have another procedure and stayed motivated." Tonya explains, "Doc is full of that perseverance. He’s committed, he wants to do better, and he wants to share his story. It’s miraculous. It's amazing that Doc is still here today."

Doc shares, "After an event like this whether it's open-heart surgery, stents, cardiac arrest heart or lung transplant...you feel like you've been hit by a cement truck, that then backed up and ran you over a second time. Just hang in there, believe in yourself, believe in your care team and believe in your family. If you’re in a good place, they’re going to walk you through it. They’re going to take your hand and there's not going to be any surprises. It’s going to be all right."

"His heart has failed him multiple times and he’s back and he's raring to go and wants to live his life - for his family, for his friends and he wants to do that educating others as well," Tonya shared. Jen adds, "He spent five minutes after he was done with his routine the other day kind of having a conversation with somebody that has similar procedure in like coaching them up and asking them what they were doing. This is what you should do and everyone takes well to him."

"I have been treated at three different cardiac rehab programs. This is the best I’ve been through. It's a very patient oriented, care directed team. If you’re looking at your healthcare options, give Grant Regional a very close look because they have outstanding people here that care about you. It’s not numbers here, it’s people.”

Bystander CPR can be a crucial factor in cardiac emergencies while medical personnel respond to the scene. If you are interested in learning CPR, visit our calendar here for upcoming CPR classes, or visit Heart.org

Heart Healthy Lifestyle Tips from Cardiac Rehab

1. Regular Exercise - From supervised activities, to daily walks in the park. The idea is to get moving!
2. Adopt a Heart Healthy Diet - This includes meals that are low in salt and rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat meats and fish.
3. Reduce Stress - Learn to control your daily stress through relaxation techniques, recreation, music, and other methods that appeal to you.
4. Medical Therapy - Follow your doctor's instructions carefully and take medications as directed.
5. Stop Smoking - Most cardiac rehab programs offer methods to kick this harmful habit.

Categories: Cardiac Rehab,Patient Story