After Jeff Hohner, a fit runner of 5Ks, 10Ks and even a full marathon, experienced a cardiac event in his mid-40s while out running, he booked an EKG stress test, like many of his buddies at the urging of their wives. Alarmingly, despite his fitness and healthy lifestyle, Jeff was diagnosed with lifelong heart disease, just like his grandfather.
Jeff, a local businessman and generous community contributor, described his cardiac event. “I’m a level-headed equanimous guy yet I recklessly ignored the signs of an impending heart attack. For the third day in a row, I was feeling fatigued as I ran around Leaside but chalked it up to hunger and dehydration. As I strained to finish my run, now with pain in my arm, trouble breathing, feeling an elephant on my chest, and starting to black out, I knew I had to make it home. Not wanting to cause a scene, I avoided Bayview and took side streets. Finally, I collapsed at home and my kids called the ambulance. The cardiologist put in a few stents, one in an artery that was 100 per cent blocked. He cautioned me, ‘You survived because you are in such good shape.’ I was lucky and determined to get back to being in the best shape possible.”
The cardiologists weren’t done with Jeff, as it turned out the stents didn’t reach all the damaged heart muscle. Nine months later, in June 2014, he had a triple bypass and got to complete UHN’s world-class cardiac rehab program for a second time. Jeff was grateful for a more complete heart repair and the benefits of the rehab experts’ guidance on diet, customized exercise prescriptions, and psycho-social stress management that taught him and his cohort group to cope and thrive.
Jeff is also enthusiastic about a post-program group called Runners With Heart. “It’s the brain-child of the Rehab Centre’s Dr. Paul Oh, and from the start Rob Bertelink (read Leaside Life’s June 2024 article) has been a super-booster. Program graduates Jim Montgomery and Stuart Lee were early adopters and are the group’s leaders. We meet regularly at the Rehab Centre. New graduates might join us as we set off on a walk, run or ride ending with a meal, often at the Leaside Pub.” Asked what they eat, Jeff chuckled, “We’re usually well-behaved in our food choices, especially when any staff join us.”
Along with a thousand other volunteers all wearing Apple watches, he is participating in a two-year research project run by senior scientist Dr. Paul Oh. The KITE site reports that “90% of study participants have improved their heart and lung function with daily monitoring and clinician guidance. Monitoring sleep patterns, tracking steps, and heart rates may, in the future, assist doctors in knowing when to intervene and support patients between appointments.”
Jeff likes to share his favourite catch phrase: “After surviving, thrive! Embrace the cardiac rehab program. Take full advantage of all elements of the program, including the annual stress test.” He also urges us to “put a smile on a cardiologist’s face. Stay in shape. Heed warning signs even if you feel it’s just indigestion. Get your heart checked and visit your doctor regularly.”
