Autumn 2015 Issue 19 Mending Hearts

Inspirational

President’s Message Carl Smerdel

OUR SPONSORS

The past few months have been busy and rewarding for our Chapter and its ever expanding and diverse membership. Together we achieved great things! Our inspired team of 109 American Heart Association walkers raised over $8,800, finishing in the top 20 of all Central Ohio AHA walk teams. Our Visiting Chair (Phil Bowen) and Treasurer/Past President (Jeff Davidson) were awarded the Ross Heart Hospital's 2014 Volunteer of The Year Award. And our team supported three area charitable heart events; including the MacIntosh Company's “A Night to Remember”, The Ross Heart Hospital's “Tri-Fit Challenge”, and the “Mingo Man Triathlon”, generating tens of thousands of heart disease research dollars!!

Future monthly meetings will continue to educate and support our new initiative to help our membership resume active productive lives after a heart event. These include: “Managing Diabetes to Better Manage Heart Disease" with Dr. Kathleen Dungan of the OSUWMC Division of

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and “Reversing Sleep Apnea’s Affects to Better Manage Heart Disease" with Dr. Rami Khayat, Director of the OSUWMC Sleep Heart Program. Please see our meeting list on page 2. The above presentations will be based on my own personal road to a recovery that I am really proud to share. I was diagnosed at age 30 as being pre-diabetic and at age 45 as having developed sleep apnea (see mine and other "heart success stories" at www.mendedheartscentralohio.org). I was not aware that Daily Exercise* and Eating to Live NOT Living to Eat ** would have reversed and helped manage these harbingers of heart disease.

Inspiring, comforting, and supporting heart patients and their caregivers is our group's primary mission and a wonderful opportunity to ease the concerns of someone who needs a small (or large) dose of positivity!! You can reach me at (614) 323-6597 or at cmsmerdel@gmail.com with questions about our group, requests for a speaker, or information on how to join our growing membership!

Stay Heart Healthy,

Carl

*”Younger Next Year”, Chris Crowley, Henry S. Lodge ** “Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease” and “The Spectrum”

Lorem Ipsum Officers and Chairs:

President, Carl Smerdel Vice President, Paco Morera Secretary, Melissa Justice Treasurer, Jeff Davidson (Past President) jadavidson@columbus.rr.com Membership, Randy Smith Visiting Chair, Phil Bowen Newsletter, Christine Ballengee Morris morris.390@osu.edu Development Chair, OPEN Hospital Coordinator, Annette Salser Facebook, Rebekah Salser-Hambor Rebekah.hambor@gmail.com Technology Chair, John Cole

Ross Visiting Report Our visiting numbers for the last 3 months: June: 91 Visits to 72 Patients; July: 102 Visits to 87 Patients; August: 98 Visits to 91 Patients

Thank you to our visiting team for your extra effort. It is usually difficult to have enough accredited visitors through the summer months. Our next Accredited Visitor training class is scheduled for Thursday September 17th at 6:00 P.M. This is also a great class for anyone who has been away from visiting for a while and would like to get back into it, or to take as a refresher.

If interested contact Phil Bowen at bowen.phil@yahoo.com or 614-327-8327. The four requirements to become a Mended Hearts Visitor are: 1) Be a Mended Hearts member 2) Attend a Mended Hearts Visitor Accreditation class 3) Attend the volunteer class provided by the Ross Heart Hospital 4) Pass the OSU Hospital volunteer program background check. Thank you to all of our Accredited Visitors, your dedication is appreciated.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Our Mission: Mended Hearts is a unique support group

for heart patients, their families, and individuals who want

to learn about staying heart healthy. We are dedicated to

inspiring hope in anyone affected by heart disease.

Our Method: We partner with local hospitals and

rehabilitation clinics to help those affected by heart

disease. We help through our heart patient visiting

program, monthly heart education meetings, and other

outreach.

Our Members: We have over 200 members, including

medical professionals, heart care administrators,

caregivers, and heart patients who can share a variety of

“heart success stories” including: growing up with

congenital heart defects, valve replacements, aneurysm

repairs, stents, bypasses, pacemakers, ICD implants,

LVAD and heart transplant surgeries.

Local Sponsors: OSU Wexner Medical Center, Ross Heart Hospital, Amity Home Health Care, AstraZeneca, Heart Hope Foundation, Heartland, Kingston of Ashland, MacIntosh Heart Health & Rehab Centers, Medtronic, Nationwide Insurance: Sylvia Garrett Agency, Zoll LifeVest Newest Members: Margo Ayers, Richard and Janet Berry, Paula Doan, Grant Gillette, Patrick Haller, Jon Krinsky, Robert and Kay Matteo, Dr. Lee and Mary Ann McPhail, Rev. Steven Mortach, James and Brenda Neel, George and Patricia Smith, Dr. Marty Traver, Charles Webb

Meeting News Oct 14, 2015: Dr. Robert Cooper will speak on "Chest Pain in the ER—Are Cardiac Workups Doing More Harm Than Good?" Nov 12, 2015: Dr. Kathleen Dungan will speak on “Managing Diabetes To Better Manage Heart Disease” Dec 17, 2015: Annual Holiday Sharing Dinner Meeting Jan 14, 2015: Dr. Rami Khayat will speak on “Reversing Sleep Apnea’s Affects to Better Manage Heart Disease ”

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Helping with Our Ears by Phil Bowen

The purpose of our visiting program is to help patients by listening. We listen to their concerns and share our experiences in order to relieve some of their fears. Sometimes we are a sounding board where the patient can vent and say things to us and not burden their family. Our method of helping starts with listening. Usually patients want to talk about their heart event. Other times they want to talk about something unrelated to heart disease to get their minds away from it for a while. On rare occasions, the patient will want to talk about something that completely overshadows their experience as a heart patient. Recently, Christine and I made a visit to such a patient. After introducing ourselves as Mended Hearts Visitors and giving a brief explanation of what we do, we asked her how she was doing. She said “heart surgery is no big deal!” Then she proceeded in telling us about when she was a 7 year old girl living in a town on the Danube River. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we were listening to a firsthand account of a tiny sliver of World War II; one of the largest events in world history for the last 2,000 years. She told us how soldiers came to her town and arrested several people including her father. She was forced to watch while those arrested were lined up in the street and shot. She finished by saying that if she could overcome that, she could overcome the challenges of heart surgery. She related this story not as a source of pain or anger, but more of a testament of her own toughness; as a victor over a most formidable enemy. She was using this tragic memory as a source of strength to minimize the challenges of her heart surgery and it was working. By actively listening to her story, she was able to verbally re-affirm her mental toughness, while we were inspired by her very moving story.

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IN THE NEWS Genetics and Heart Disorders

Heart disease is often a family matter. Until recently, it was thought that if heart disease ran in your family, you would be destined to develop heart disease yourself. It turns out that theory was wrong. There are certain features of a family history that may be signs of a genetic heart disorder. Some of these include:

*Sudden cardiac death, unexplained death at a young age, or death by an unexplained accident or drowning.

*Heart failure at a young age (under 50). Signs of heart failure include shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, difficulty with exercise and "asthma" that doesn't improve with an inhaler.

*Palpitations or an abnormal heart rhythm at a young age.

*Fainting, black-outs, or seizures that couldn't be treated with typical seizure medications.

*More than one relative with the same type of heart disease.

Three recent studies show that genetics represent a fraction of the overall risk factors for heart disease. While we share genes and disease such as high blood pressure with our relatives, we often share lifestyles as well. There may be a genetic link, but there is an equal possibility that they shared behavioral risk factors that may not apply to you such as: smoking, an inactive lifestyle, and poor diet. A recent study conducted by the Interheart Study Group identified some risk-reducing factors such as: exercise, daily intake of fruits and vegetables, and moderate alcohol consumption.

Genetic testing might be something one might want to investigate, which is the process of taking a sample of a person’s DNA to look for changes that could cause inherited heart disease. Genetic testing can be used for the following to clarify the diagnosis; identify the cause of heart disease in a family; and provide options for family planning to name a few. For more information about genetic testing please visit: heartlung.osu.edu and Heart Hope Foundation at

https://www.facebook.com/HeartHopeFoundation

Meeting News

February 13, 2013: A "Heart Survivors Sharing Meeting" (surprise celebrity speaker)

March 13, 2013: Dr. Ali Zaidi, MD from Nationwide Children's will speak on: "The Evolution for Caring for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease"

April 10, 2013: Marcia Belcher, RN, MSN will speak on: "The 1st (Critical) 24 Hours After Open-Heart Surgery—A Nurses Perspective" May 15, 2013: Dr. Juan Crestanello will speak on: "Heart Valve Replacement Critical Issues and Decisions"

HEART SPOTLIGHT

Courtney Williams: There are certain people who change the world—and Courtney Williams was one of those people. We lost Courtney on July 23rd 2015 to congestive heart failure while waiting for a heart transplant. She was just 36 years old, but she impacted and inspired so many people in her short life. Everyone who knew Courtney loved her! Courtney was a founding member of our group and she was a major factor in our growth from 7 members in Dec 2010 to over 220 members today. But Courtney was SO MUCH MORE than her disease! Despite her own struggles, she volunteered endlessly to help others with life-threatening diseases. Her positive attitude, faith and courage in the face of so many personal trials will always be an inspiration to others. Walking into a patient room with that 300 watt smile, Courtney gave inspiration to patients she visited at Ohio State's Ross Heart Hospital. Her heart story of six open-heart surgeries from age 4 and many hospitalizations was the life she endured as a congenital heart disease (CHD) patient. However, her positive attitude and her joy of life continued throughout every day of her life! Courtney's main medical hurdle the past few years was right-side heart failure and the lack of viable options for this type of condition. A transplant for Courtney was extremely problematic, because her antibodies were so high and because of many other medical issues. She was on the heart transplant list, but tragically she simply ran out of treatment options. We lost a good friend on July 23rd, but Courtney's family, friends, and our group are partnering with Ohio State scientists to create a fund which will honor her in perpetuity and provide dollars for much needed heart failure research. Donations to the new "Courtney Williams Heart Failure Research Fund" can be made to: OSU Foundation, P.O. Box 183112, Columbus, OH 43218-3112 or online at http://give.osu.edu/CourtneyWilliams;

Courtney Williams –we will never forget you!

Courtney, a COACH Program patient, was very near and dear to us. She simply ran out of treatment options, as do many patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Adolescents and adults with CHD have different care considerations than children. Because of these factors, specialized treatment centers have been developed across the country. We are fortunate to have one of these programs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) and the OSU Wexner Medical Center (OSU). Many patients, like Courtney, received care at NCH as young children, however since 2001, patients have been able to continue their care throughout adulthood without leaving the hospital they know so well.

The Columbus Ohio Adult Congenital Heart Program is one of the top programs in the US that offers adult CHD care with doctors and nurses who have specialized training in adult and pediatric medicine and adult and pediatric cardiology. We provide care at the main campus of OSU and NCH as well as outreach locations in Ohio including Lima, Mansfield, Dayton, Portsmouth, and Ironton. Our program has pioneered treatment options, assisted in developing ACHD program accreditation criteria, as well as board certification for ACHD physicians, all of which would not have been possible without our program director Dr. Curt Daniels.

One of the most difficult aspects of caring for patients with CHD, is that many do not follow up with routine cardiology care after high school or after leaving their parent's care. These patients should remain in care across their life span despite feeling well or being told their heart disease was “fixed”. Patients who do not return for care can face significant complications related to prior surgical repairs or worse, premature death. NCH has been at the forefront in the development of transition education to assist pediatric patients in understanding the importance of life-long cardiac care.

The overwhelming goal of the COACH program is to provide high-quality care to adolescents and adults born with CHD through evidence-based medicine in addition to using treatment guidelines as we learn more about the natural history of CHD through research and clinical practice.

Kavita Sharma, MD, is an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology. With her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill, she completed her internal medicine residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center, and her clinical cardiology fellowship training at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center.

Dr. Sharma’s recent research is a collaborative project with Dr. Martha Gulati. They concluded that exercise stress tests remain a useful and cost-effective method for detecting heart disease during a period when many doctors opt for high-tech and often high-cost testing. They state that for heart patients like Barbara Current, the life-saving test she needed was an older technology stress test that revealed vital information that had been elusive with more modern testing procedures. After imaging failed to show why Current was experiencing pain and an anxious feeling in her chest, her physician looked at the results of Current’s exercise stress test. Sharma stated that the review of the research, said exercise capacity, heart rate, blood pressure response and chest pain are all examples of other powerful data that can be obtained from an exercise stress test to help identify coronary artery disease and even help predict risk of death. “All this data is readily available on a traditional exercise stress test. The interpreter just needs to fully examine it,” said Sharma.

Dr. Sharma is currently an ACCF Question Writing Committee contributor. She won the 2011 Scholarship for the Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Re-certification. She served on the Resident Advisory Council at The Ohio State University in 2009-2010. See more at http://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/Advanced-Tests-Not-Always-Needed-to-Uncover-Heart-Disease

Heart Healthy Recipes Apples and Chicken

INGREDIENTS • 2 apples, preferably Braeburn, peeled and thinly sliced • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 3 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided • 1 1/8 teaspoons herbes de Provence, (see Note), divided • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest 1. Toss apple slices with lemon juice and cinnamon in a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and

1 teaspoon butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

2. Mix 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small saucepan to a 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the seasoning mixture.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter to the pan; heat over high heat. Cook the remaining chicken in the same manner.

4. Add broth, lemon zest, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon herbs and any accumulated juices from the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with the sautéed apples.

Makes: 6 servings Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Per serving: 191 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 292 mg sodium; 342 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Niacin (65% daily value), Selenium (29% dv). Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2 Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 3 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat !

Heart Healthy Recipes Spicy Apple Crisp

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INGREDIENTS

• 5 medium-large crisp, tart apples, such as McIntosh, Empire, Granny Smith or Cortland, peeled and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or Splenda Granular • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided • 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, (not instant) • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces • 2 tablespoons canola oil • 2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, or walnuts

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8-inch square (or 2-quart) deep baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Combine apples with granulated sugar (or Splenda), lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine whole-wheat flour, oats, brown sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix to blend. Using your fingers (or a fork or pastry blender), cut in butter until evenly distributed and there are no chunks. Stir in oil, apple juice concentrate and nuts; toss well until evenly moistened and clumpy.

4. Remove the foil from the baking dish and scatter the topping evenly over the apples. Bake uncovered until the topping has browned and the fruit is soft and bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. !

Makes: 8 servings Active Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 1/2 hours (including cooling time)

NUTRITION

Per serving: 274 calories; 10 g fat (3 g sat, 5 g mono); 8 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 6 g fiber; 1 mg sodium; 231 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Manganese (17% daily value). Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2 Exchanges: 2 1/2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat (saturated)

MH2050D 2012/July

The Mended Hearts, Inc. National Office Phone: 888-HEART99 (432-7899) www.mendedhearts.org

MEMBER ENROLLMENT

Member Information (please print or type) CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER (614-580-1561) Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr) _______________________________ __ Chapter OR Member-At-Large

Address (line 1) ________________________________ Phone ( ) _______________

Address (line 2) ________________________________ Alt Phone ( ) _____________

City _________________________________________ DOB Retired: Yes No

State/Zip ______________________________________ Occupation ____________________

Email address __________________________________ Preferred Contact: Phone Email Mail

Family member (must reside at same address; please name): (Mr/Mrs/Ms) ________________________________

Family member Email address_ _____________________________________ May Mended Hearts staff or volunteers contact you regarding local chapter opportunities? Yes No Medical Info/Demographics (Optional for Mended Hearts reporting purposes in aggregate only)

Name of Heart Patient ________________________ Name of Caregiver ________________________

Date of Surgery/Procedure ________________________ Phone __________________________________

Type of Surgery/Procedure ________________________ Alt Phone ________________________________

Many chapter newsletters include surgery/procedure anniversaries of members. Please indicate here if you are agreeable to having your name published in this way.

Yes No Add my email to monthly national email updates? Add my email to monthly national email updates?

Yes No _____________________________ Yes No ___________________________ Patient signature Family member signature Optional info: Race: Caucasian; Black; Asian; Am. Indian; Other Gender: Male; Female

National Membership Dues: Includes subscription to Heartbeat magazine and one insignia pin for an individual or two pins for a family membership (must reside in same household). Select type of membership and include chapter dues (unless you wish to become a member-at-large). National dues are tax deductible less $10.00; Chapter and Lifetime dues are 100% tax deductible. Within United States Chapter Dues Individual $20.00 Individual $ 10.00 Family $30.00 Family $15.00 Life – Individual Dues $150.00 Life – Individual Dues $75.00 Life – Family Dues $210.00 Life – Family Dues $125.00 Dues Summary: National dues $ I am joining as a non-heart patient: Physician RN Chapter dues $ _____ Health Admin Other Interested Party Other_____________ TOTAL $ A tax-deductible contribution $ to National OR Chapter New chapter members: Please send payment with enrollment form to chapter Treasurer: Or, if joining as a member-at-large, send to:

The Mended Hearts, Inc. National Office 8150 N. Central Expressway, M2248 Dallas, TX 75206

Angioplasty Heart attack Cath Check here if also Heart Patient

Atrial Septal Defect Pacemaker Valve-Surgery Type of procedure___________ ___________

Aneurysm Transplant Valve Transcath

CABG (Bypass) AFib arrhythmia ICD (Defibrillator)

Stent Other arrhythmia Other___________

Mended Hearts of Central Ohio 7774 Brandonway Drive Dublin, OH 43017

If#undeliverable#return#to:#Jeff#Davidson##7774#Brandonway#Drive#Dublin,#Ohio#43017#!Mended!Hearts!of!Central!Ohio!Central(Ohio(Chapter(#371(__________DATED MATERIAL

ABOUT!MENDED!HEARTS!Mended(Hearts(is(an(international(heart(support(group(dedicated(to(helping(heart(disease(patients(and(their(families(cope(with(heart(events.((Our(trained(and(dedicated(members(visit(patients,(with(doctor’s(approval,(while(they(are(hospitalized(and(in(most(need(of(comfort,(support(and(inspiration.((We(provide(literature(related(to(Mended(Hearts(and(to(heart(disease(and(we(inspire(each(other(at(our(monthly(meetings.(We(also(visit(by(telephone(and(on(the(internet(and(we(send(a(heart(patient(we(visit(the(next(three(issues(of(our(chapter(newsletter.((For(more(information(about(us,(please(contact(Jeff(Davidson(at((614)(580O1561(or(at(jadavidson@columbus.rr.com(…OR(Phil(Bowen(at((614)(327O8327or(at(bowen.phil@yahoo.com((We(are(“heart(success(stories”!!((

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Mended!Hearts!of!Central!Ohio!Greater#Columbus#Chapter###371#

Jeff#Davidson,#President#7774#Brandonway#Drive#Dublin,#Ohio#43017#

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Please(visit(us(at(www.mendedheartscentralohio.org(We(are(dedicated(to(inspiring(heart(disease(patients(and(their(families.(

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When(you(finish(reading(this(newsletter,(please(do(not(throw(it(away.(Pass(it(along(to(a(friend,(a(relative,(a(( neighbor,(or(drop(it(off(in(someone’s(waiting(room.(This(way(more(people(will(get(OUR(Mended(Hearts(message(….”That(there(can(

be(a(great(life(after(a(heart(event?”.