After a double bypass, North Texas heart patient finds renewed health and friends through cardiac rehab
Despite facing severe coronary artery disease requiring double bypass surgery, a patient at Texas Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Center found renewed health and formed a lasting bond with his therapists, inspiring them to start a running group and complete races together.
More than 20 million Americans are living with coronary artery disease, a condition that leads to more than 600,000 deaths every year.
Those numbers from the National Institute of Health are sobering, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence.
"It starts with a single step and it starts with a single workout, then a week worth of workouts, then a month worth of workouts," said Eric Prisbell.
Prisbell's journey to a new lease on life started when he realized that after more than a few steps, he could hardly breathe.
"I tried to jog around the block and my heart rate would spike immediately to 195," said Prisbell.
He knew something was wrong.
"It turned out, after visits to my doctor, that one artery was 100% blocked and the other one was 75% blocked," said Prisbell.
Finding hope in cardiac rehab
After double bypass surgery, Prisbell visited the Texas Health Cardiac Rehabilitation Center. That's where he met Sierra Proctor and Jaclyn Raiback.
"He's awesome," said Raibeck, a registered nurse with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen.
"We just latched on to him," said Proctor, an exercise physiologist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen.
Prisbell's goal was to run a 5k just a few months after his double bypass. That got the gears turning in Proctor and Raibeck's heads.
"A bunch of us here just kind of talked about, like, why don't we start running together," said Raiback
Beyond the finish line
"Now we've created a little group and continue that bond with Eric outside of him graduating from cardiac rehab," said Proctor.
The three have run four 5ks and one 10k together. But their relationship goes far beyond running.
"He was our patient, now he's our friend," said Raiback.
They're getting healthier together, and for Prisbell, the father of three, that's his number one priority.
"Being there for my kids, especially with my daughter when she gets older. Walking her down the aisle, knowing that I have a second chance and I made the most of it," he said.
