After a pre-gig heart attack, New Jersey musician embraces exercise

近十年来, trombonist and singer Tommy Meares shared the stage with Jon Bon Jovi, 在郊区的国王乐队演奏, 这位摇滚传奇的11人乐队的私人演出. 现在，米尔斯与当地和国家乐队一起演奏.

两年前，他在当地一家晚餐俱乐部演出. At home in West Long Branch, New Jersey, he went upstairs to get ready. 在楼梯平台上，他抓住栏杆，大口喘气. 他的胸紧了起来，开始出汗. 他对妻子喊道:“出事了!"

In the emergency room, Meares learned he was having a heart attack. 他的右冠状动脉完全堵塞了. 他的其他动脉也有轻微堵塞.

He needed a cardiac catheterization procedure to open his clogged arteries and restore blood flow. It was late Friday and Meares was stable, so doctors scheduled the procedure for Monday morning. 他会在医院度过周末.

星期天早晨早餐后, nine nurses ran into Meares' room with a cart stocked with emergency supplies.

“怎么回事??他说着坐了起来.

“你刚刚又心脏病发作了，”一个护士回答.

米尔斯一点感觉都没有. 但监控人员提醒工作人员发生了什么. The catheterization procedure could no longer wait; he needed his arteries unclogged right away.

并发症导致手术持续了6个小时. A major issue was that Meares' right coronary artery was shaped like a shepherd's crook. He needed two blood transfusions and had four stents implanted to hold his arteries open.

The procedure was a success, and Meares went home to recover two days later.

心脏病发作后，米尔斯思考了导致心脏病发作的原因. 他意识到问题的部分原因是饮食中大量食用红肉. He vowed to clean up his diet, cutting out red meat and cooking more salmon instead.

Two months later, his doctor cleared him to start cardiac rehabilitation. 在蒙茅斯医疗中心心脏康复科, 米尔斯走跑步机和椭圆机. 不久，他开始练习举重和划船.

“我爱上了这个过程，”米尔斯说. "I got hooked."

A month and a half after his heart attacks, Meares felt strong enough to play the trombone again. He took the stage, playing a show with Anthony Krizan of the Spin Doctors. Two days later, he played another gig with a band that shared the bill with Micky Dolenz from The Monkees, 第二天他又有了第三场演出.

Now, 两年后, Meares continues to participate in cardiac rehabilitation three times a week to keep his heart healthy. 他称自己为“重生的健身狂”."

“我意识到我还在这里是多么幸运，”他说.

他与其他病人的关系也越来越亲密. 如果心脏康复中心的常客不来上课, 米尔斯或其他病人打电话来检查他们.

“我们都互相照顾，”他说. “这种感觉真的很好."

米尔斯也鼓励新患者坚持锻炼. 一位病人说她讨厌锻炼, 米尔斯鼓励她专注于每次治疗后的感受. After completing her initial sessions, the woman is now paying for more.

“汤米是一个很好的倡导者, 不仅仅是为了他自己, 但他很愿意帮助其他人," his wife, Marion, said. "He's on board with telling everybody how important it is to take care of yourself."

A year ago, the cardiac rehab director asked Meares to lead a singalong for the unit's lung patients. 米尔斯打印了抒情诗. The director had also invited New Jersey singer-songwriter Pat Guadagno to sing for patients. Guadagno backed up Meares on guitar and sang harmony during the singalong.

The patients briefly removed their oxygen masks to belt out John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." For the finale, they sang and swayed to "Hey Jude" from The Beatles.

去年夏天，米尔斯的摩城乐队在当地演出时, the cardiac rehab director made a sign-up sheet for patients to attend. 其中大约有80人做到了.

"She encouraged everyone to go," Meares said, "because dancing is also really good physical therapy."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.