"I came in to Trinity as a cardiac victim, but I left as a cardiac survivor," said John.
While doing yard work on a warm summer day, John Wellman began to feel ill. John’s wife, Dee, insisted on driving him to the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Bettendorf emergency department to be evaluated. Within an hour, John was in surgery to repair his heart.
John stayed at Trinity for several days to recover from his procedure. During his inpatient stay,
Dan Saskowski, Manager of Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation, visited John and shared the benefits of participating in Trinity’s Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
“I shared with John that Trinity provides patients and their families with a full continuum of personalized cardiovascular care and the Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation program is an extension of this care,” said Saskowski. “Trinity is the only medical center in the Quad Cities and one of the first in Illinois to offer this scientifically-proven program.”
At first, John was hesitant to make the commitment to drive cross-state three times every week to attend the program. The Cardiac Rehabilitation program is offered at Trinity Rock Island and John resides in Bettendorf. Ultimately, John decided the interactive cooking classes made the program worth the trip.
Over the course of 12 weeks, John attended individualized exercise programs, cooking classes, and mental health workshops. John is back to working in the yard and living an active life. He
completed all 72 sessions and graduated from the Pritikin program in 2019.
“Patients, like John, are experiencing life-changing benefits from the program,” said Kathy Pulley, Director of Cardiology. “Since the program began in April 2018, patients are benefiting from increased strength and endurance, significant weight loss, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reduction in the need for blood pressure and diabetes medication, and improved mental health”.
With support from donors like you, Trinity Health Foundation will continue to impact the health, wellness, and longevity of our community through low-barrier educational opportunities, cardiac wellness and nutrition classes, and financial assistance for underserved and at-risk populations.