Tallahassee resident Ken Morrison, 72, was planning a trip out West to Wyoming with his wife when he learned he needed heart surgery. Suddenly the trip, and any others in the future, were the furthest things from his mind.
Years earlier, Ken had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib) – a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications – but was monitoring and managing it. He’d never had a heart attack, stroke nor any blockages in his arteries. By all accounts, he considered himself to be very healthy. It wasn’t until 2013 that he learned he had a leaking mitral valve, which required open heart surgery to repair.
“It scared me to death,” Ken shared. “You get to certain points in life when something happens and you realize you need to make a change – this was that point for me.”
During his surgery, performed by C. Patrick Murrah, MD, FACS, cardiothoracic surgeon at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), Ken underwent a mitral valve repair to fix his leaking valve, had an appendage on his heart removed to restore circulation, and received a surgical ablation procedure to prevent erratic electrical impulses in the future.
“It was a lot of surgery and it took a long time for me to wake up,” Ken recalled. But from the very moment he was conscious, the staff in the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit at TMH had him working on recovery and rehabilitation. “The staff in the Heart & Vascular Center was unbelievable. As soon as they get you awake, they are getting you up and walking down the hall.”
To regain his strength and learn to live with his new normal post-heart surgery, Ken began cardiac rehabilitation at the Tallahassee Memorial Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center. The outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation program designed for patients with cardiovascular disease. Participants like Ken learn healthy behaviors to support returning to full activity after a cardiac procedure or event, and help prevent the progression of heart disease.
The staff at the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center work individually with every person in the program to develop a customized plan that works best for them – from exercise, to nutrition, to proper water consumption. Under constant supervision of registered nurses, respiratory therapists and exercise physiologists, participants in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program can be physically active in a safe environment amongst other patients with similar goals.
What began as a 12-week Cardiac Rehabilitation Program quickly became much more for Ken. Over six years later, he still goes every week. What keeps him and many others in the program coming back is, not only the program itself, but also the people behind it.
“It’s like a family with the people that work there. They are wonderful people,” Ken said. “They’re like brothers and sisters to me.”
Just a few short years ago, Ken was focused on survival. Now, the possibilities are endless. He looks forward to visiting Germany with his wife, watching his five grandkids grow up, and continuing his passion for fixing up old cars.
He said it himself, “I plan on being here a while.”
