[First man] "I had to have open-heart surgery.
My mind was churning. How would things go?
What would happen after the surgery?"
[Woman] "I cried and cried. What if heart disease meant I couldn't help my family?"
[Second man] "I worried that a heart attack would slow me down ...
I don't have time to be sick!"
"A heart attack. Time stopped for me.
But the thing is ... it didn't stop for anyone else.
Deadlines. Obligations. They don't just go away."
"I wanted to get back to work fast.
That's why I jumped into a cardiac rehab program.
Looking back, it's a bit crazy.
I have a heart attack and I'm thinking about work!"
"And that was the best thing I got out of the program ... a change in my mind-set.
I began to see the big picture.
Getting back to normal is about more than my heart.
It's also about finding balance. Work, family, fun."
"And you know, I'm better than back to normal. I feel good.
I feel confident about what my heart can do."
[Woman] "I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to help out with the grandkids.
With the price of daycare ... well, they count on me.
I really didn't know what to do."
"I joined a cardiac rehab program. But I was scared.
Would I be able to do it? Would it help?"
"But my team listened to my goal ... to be able to help my family ...
and they found the best way to help me."
"And the people in the program ... you encourage each other.
Your attitude begins to change. I started to feel better about the future."
"The rehab did so much more than help my heart.
I made new friends. I got better habits.
I learned better ways to take care of myself ... and I share them with my family."
"The worry is still there ... but not so much the fear."
[First man] "After my surgery, I just wasn't sure. Of myself. Of my heart.
Would I have another heart attack while I was on the road?"
"But tough guy that I am ... ha ...
I didn't talk about it or take any steps to help myself.
But my wife could see something was wrong ...
I was feeling a bit depressed. She thought cardiac rehab might be good for me."
"It really helped. It eased my fear ... which I learned is really normal.
Everything was planned for me.
The rehab team wouldn't let me do more than my heart could take."
"And I learned about food.
What you eat really makes a difference.
I realized I had to change my 'grab and go' habits.
So now I plan the meals I'll have on the road, and my wife and I have come up with some great healthy snacks."
"And now, I'm doing great.
My doctor cleared me to drive again, and I'm on the road.
I'm not scared of the future anymore ... it's like the roads I drive.
There are always curves, but I can handle them."
