Parker County Today Dec. 2018 | Page 41

Home days after the stent was placed in his heart, Bob then “Patients come in with goals in mind and, for Bob, he
turned his attention to rehabilitation. He became a patient wanted to get back into his running routine,” Tama
of Texas Health Willow Park, where he could receive cardiac Purselley, RN, BSN, said. “We want our patients to continue
rehabilitation services close to home. Built and designed to exercising once they finish their therapy. We want them to
provide quality care to the residents of Weatherford and make healthy lifestyle changes, including exercise and diet,
surrounding communities, Texas Health Willow Park offers and help them understand their risk factors.”
services ranging from a 24/7 emergency department to
cardiac rehab, imaging, and even a comprehensive fitness In addition to the information and training his therapists
center. Here, Bob not only found the therapy he needed, offered him, Bob said that they provided him something
but also the support. Every step of the way, therapists and equally as valuable: support. Bob’s nurse and exercise
clinicians were there to help Bob set and achieve new goals. physiologist ran alongside Bob when he completed his
They were the teammates he needed for a strong comeback. first 5K after his rehabilitation, a 4th of July race in Fort
Worth. Not only was he elated to be back doing what he
loves, but also that members of his care team chose to run
When Bob
suggested the run,
we decided we
were all going to
go and support
each other.
it with him.
“When Bob suggested the run, we decided we were all
going to go and support each other,” Brooke Carey, ACSM-
CEP, Bob’s clinical exercise physiologist at Texas Health
Willow Park, said. “It’s fun to work with patients and see
how far they can go. He’s really motivated.”
With a 5K under his belt, Bob set his sights on a bigger
goal — the Rock & Roll Half Marathon.
“My goal is to run the half-marathon in November and the
girls are going with me — Becca, Brooke and Tama are
going. I guess I’m the instigator,” Bob jokes. “It’s wonderful
to have their support.”
“I don’t think you’ll find a better group of people — that After a year filled with ups and downs, uncovering a
was my experience,” Bob said of his therapists in cardiac surprise health concern, and ultimately making a return to
rehab. “What they laid out for me to do, encouraging me the sport he loves, Bob is feeling philosophical about his
— everything.” recovery.
At Texas Health Willow Park, Bob learned to use a heart “Crossing this half marathon finish line — this is going to be
monitor when he runs. Educating him on how to check one of those to finish,” Bob says. “This is not a race when
and monitor his heart, therapists showed Bob that running time matters. I am very competitive, but this is completely
again was a possibility — as long as he kept a check on his different. I guess I live each day like there’s no tomorrow.”
heart’s pace. “They taught me how to be mindful of that,”
he said.
For more information about the services offered
at Texas Health Willow Park, call 877-847-9355
or visit TexasHealth.org/WillowPark.
Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents
of Texas Health hospitals or Texas Health Resources. © 2018