Healing the heart: Brook Highland man’s journey back to health

It has been 18 months since Jim Baker suffered a heart attack in July 2021.

He was 55 years old and in good health and hadn’t had any previous heart symptoms. The only pill he took each day was a vitamin.

“It caught me completely out of the blue,” Baker said. “I had pain around 1 p.m. and went to the emergency room around 10 p.m. The pain was incredibly bad in my chest, but I still didn’t think I was having a heart attack even when my wife was driving me to the ER.”

Once he made it to the hospital, Baker learned that he had four blockages and his “widowmaker” artery was 100% blocked. He had two stents placed and would have two more the following month.

After his surgeries were complete, Baker’s physician, Dr. David Cox, advised him to enter a cardiac rehabilitation program to help with his recovery. Baker continues to do well and is grateful for this second chance at life.

What is cardiac rehab?

Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program designed to improve a patient’s cardiovascular health after a heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty or heart surgery. The goal is to accelerate recovery and get them back to daily activities.

According to the American Heart Association, it is considered standard care for a patient’s recovery. However, many patients do not take advantage of the program. A study published in June 2022 showed that only 25% of cardiac patients seek cardiac rehab after a heart event.

Baker not only took part in the 12-week cardiac rehab course at Ascension St. Vincent’s One Nineteen; his nurses described him as a model patient.

“I wanted to get better. That was my goal — to ensure I can live as long as I possibly can,” Baker said.

Cox said cardiac rehab is just as effective as, if not more effective than, any other kind of medication therapy given.

“The importance of cardiac rehab is to get people more active and decrease future events,” Cox said. “Cardiac rehab after a MI [myocardial infarction] should be recommended to everyone. Usually cost is never an issue, and the intervention has no downside, really only an upside.”

Cardiac rehab is set up similar to a gym environment where patients use different apparatuses that are overseen by nurses with cardiac experience. They are Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support trained and equipped to deal with emergencies. The 12-week program usually consists of three weekly sessions lasting one to two hours each.

“The goal is to do an initial assessment and progressively check vital signs, blood pressure and increase the level of exercise,” Cox said. “Some people may initially wonder why they are there or think it’s not much of a benefit. It’s tailored to [the patient’s] age and pre-existing functional capacity after a heart attack, and it would depend on the level of the heart attack.”

A special bond

Nurse Natalie Bailey and exercise physiologist Mary Katherine Tullo were with Baker every step of the way during his cardiac rehab at Ascension St. Vincent’s One Nineteen.

Tullo describes Baker as the patient that every nurse wants to have, adding that the entire time he was in rehab, he wanted to know what his goals were and then met them. Once he reached a goal, he would want a new one.

“When we first met Jim, he didn’t understand everything,” Tullo said. “He was very inquisitive and would ask questions, and we would just talk the whole time. We saw him go through this complete lifestyle change and focus on his health. He was determined and wanted to understand why he went through what he did, in order to change so that it would not happen again.”

Bailey describes Baker as one of the most determined people she has ever seen.

“He always had a positive attitude,” Baker said. “Jim really listened and absorbed everything we gave him and applied it to his everyday life. He set a goal and was going to accomplish it and not let anything get in his way. He’s a dream patient.”

Bailey and Tullo assisted Baker with cardio exercise (treadmill and stationary bike) before he progressed to jogging and strength training.

Baker gets emotional when talking about the two. “Their gentleness, kindness and compassion were unparalleled,” he said, adding that he would not be where he is today without their care.

“It was a blessing to have Natalie and Mary Katherine,” he said. “They were just incredible and have such a heart for helping others. They made it fun. I’d get up in the morning ready to go. I formed a very special bond with them and refer to them as my angels on earth. Without them, I don’t think I’d be in the spot that I am in today.”

The three still keep in touch. Bailey said in addition to birthdays and holidays, Baker texted her and Tullo on the one-year anniversary of his heart attack and thanked them for all their help.

A celebratory run

Nine months after his heart attack, Baker had planned to run a 5K. When inclement weather was predicted for his race day, he changed his plans and decided to run it on the indoor track at Ascension St. Vincent’s One Nineteen.

When Bailey found out about the change of plans, she told Tullo they had to be there.

Baker’s wife and son came to cheer him on, but he didn’t know Bailey and Tullo found out about his plans and showed up to surprise and support him on their day off, encouraging signs and balloons in hand.

Tullo said it was fun seeing the surprised look on his face.

“It was the best day,” she said. “We were just really proud of him.”

Baker’s son, who was a senior in high school at the time, ran with him.

Moving forward

Baker said he can never thank Bailey and Tullo enough and he is forever indebted to them.

He now has the ability to live confidently and not in fear.

Baker said he lives his life to the fullest and continues to have heart checkups every six months.

At his one-year follow-up visit with Cox, Baker said he received good marks and a healthy report.

“I’m in really good shape now and really healthy and live each day to the fullest,” he said. “No one ever wants a heart attack, and I don’t want a second one, but if God gave me a choice knowing what I’ve been through, I’d take it — as crazy as it sounds. There’s a purpose in everything, and there is a purpose in this.”