Heart-healing cardiac rehab at AdventHealth Gordon
Over three years ago, Imogene Pack’s life was changed when she had a heart attack. After building her strength again with cardiac rehabilitation, she continues to put in the time and effort to live a healthier lifestyle, both for herself and her family.
Residing in Gordon County for over 40 years, Pack is married to Richard Pack, who pastors Freedom House of Worship Church. They have two children, Chris Pack and April Flowers, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Before retirement, she worked at a carpet sample plant and a child development center. Now, she enjoys time at home and with family.
“Spending time with family is what I love most,” said Pack. “I also love going to church and spending time with my church family.”
In December 2017, Pack started having chest pains. She originally thought it was indigestion and ignored it for a few weeks. One night, when the pain became too much to overlook, her husband called 911, and an ambulance took her to AdventHealth Gordon. After running some tests and finding that the issue was with her heart, she was stabilized and sent to Redmond Regional Medical Center.
“When I got to Redmond, the doctor told me I was having a heart attack right then,” said Pack. “They took me to the cath lab and did an emergency stent, and he said my main artery was 100% blocked. He was surprised I was still alive at that point.”
After her heart attack, Pack did 36 weeks of cardiac rehab at AdventHealth Gordon. Now, she visits cardiac rehab three times per week to maintain her health.
“The rehab gave me a lot of strength back,” said Pack. “I was weak when I first started, but it strengthened my body a lot. I’m not at 100% because I have heart damage, but it has helped so much with my stamina.”
AdventHealth Gordon’s cardiac rehab program offers personalized recovery plans that include exercise along with the personal attention of physiologists and nurses. Though she doesn’t necessarily have to do her exercises at the cardiac rehab facility, Pack chooses to because of Cindy Butler, cardiac rehab clinical coordinator, and the helpful and caring team.
“If something goes wrong or you are having problems, Cindy is there to help you,” said Pack. “She is wonderful and works so well with her patients. She puts you at ease and makes sure you have everything you need. If you’re having any difficulty at all, she wants to know so she can help.”
At one rehab appointment, Pack’s heart seemed to get out of rhythm. Butler and the cardiac rehab team watched her heart monitor closely before determining she was okay to continue.
“I didn’t even know anything was wrong, but Cindy rushed over to check on me,” said Pack. “She’s great at things like that and always takes care of her patients.”
With the help of cardiac rehab and regular cardiac exercises, Pack is back to enjoying her life. “Now I pretty much do everything I did before my heart attack,” said Pack.
This experience has also changed the way Pack views exercise. Because of the cardiac rehab team at AdventHealth Gordon, she sees how it is an essential part of living a healthy life.
“I was never one to exercise before but seeing how they care and work with their patients to make them healthier has really given me a more positive outlook on exercise and how important it is for your life.”