By Jim Prime (’69)

As a recent graduate and proud alumnus of the Acadia Cardiac Maintenance Program (ACMP), I feel qualified to share a few thoughts on this excellent Valley resource. Classes for ACMP are held at the Acadia Arena Complex and conducted by third- and fourth-year students in the Acadia School of Kinesiology under the watchful supervision of Director Dr. Carley O’Neill (’14).

The ACMP was recently designated (in January 2023) as a Heart Wise Exercise site in collaboration with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. It is the first Heart Wise site in eastern Canada (https://heartwise.ottawaheart.ca/get-wise/what-heart-wise-exercise).

The aim of the program is to improve the physical fitness and overall health of those who have undergone heart procedures. It’s available to male and female participants who have completed the Cardiac Rehab program at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville – the perfectly named Extended Warranty Program.

My semester at Acadia began on January 23 and continued until April 3, with classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for 50 minutes. One day was devoted to strength training, one to group exercises, and one to aerobics.

Urgent situation

Every cardiac experience is unique, but I’ll use my own to illustrate the value of this course. I’m currently 74 years of age. In May 2021, I started experiencing shortness of breath and a dry throat while walking up gradual inclines along my usual morning exercise circuit near my New Minas home. At first I ignored the signs or attributed them to various other factors. When they persisted, my wife Glenna convinced me to see the family doctor and he arranged for me to have an EKG on June 15. The scan showed little but Glenna, a retired nurse, insisted that I also get a stress test. I was still in denial and, as an avid walker, was convinced that I would ace the test. I was wrong; the August 16 results were definitive. They showed that I had two very significant blockages and a faulty aortic valve. I was told that my situation was urgent, given a prescription for nitroglycerin and added to a queue for open heart surgery.

The internist estimated that it would happen within four weeks, but when those weeks had passed with no contact I discovered that due to a backlog of surgeries, a scarcity of nurses, and other COVID-19-related delays my status was no longer deemed urgent. I was now officially designated a ‘stable out-patient. ’ I knew there were people in more immediate danger than I was and accepted the situation. The actual wait time turned out to be more than six months, during which numerous additional tests were done including an echocardiogram, an angiogram, and a second EKG. Glenna and I made several trips to the Halifax Infirmary for consultations with the cardiac team and my heart surgeon. Important decisions had to be made. Did I want a mechanical valve or a real one? What were my wishes in the event that something went wrong?

The first surgery date was cancelled at the last minute, again due to COVID-19, but on March 10, 2022, I finally underwent open heart surgery. During the five-hour operation, the surgeon completed two bypasses and installed a biological tissue valve (in my case, a pig’s valve) in place of the damaged one, which, it turned out, had been defective when I was born.

My recovery proceeded smoothly with help from Glenna and the VON nurses who regularly dropped in.  I began my exercise regime within days of the operation, starting with daily eight-minute walks and gradually building myself up to a full 40 minutes over the next few weeks.  I followed the surgeon’s instructions precisely, keeping my Cardiac Clinic heart pillow handy to cushion the impact if I felt the need to cough or sneeze. Few people talk about the emotional side of heart surgery, but there definitely is one and I struggled with that at times.

Six months later, on September 13, I began 10 weeks of rehab through the Valley Regional Cardiac Rehab program. The sessions were twice weekly and included both exercise and informational classes on lifestyle and diet. I finished on November 17 and did my best to implement the same regimen at home, with mixed results because group activities definitely provide a motivational component for me.

Eight-week adventure

At the last session, our group was told that Acadia was offering a maintenance program and several of us signed up for it. I firmly believe that some people just require a guided workout routine. The ACMP provided that and so much more. On the first day we met Dr. O’Neill, and each of us was paired with a kinesiology student for the duration of the course. Mine was Emma Dixon and I knew from Day One that she was going to be exceptional, although they were all highly motivated, caring undergrads.

After recording our weight, heart rates, blood pressure and other vitals we were guided through a variety of benchmark exercises for the purposes of pre- and post-ACMP comparisons.  We then set out on our eight-week adventure.

Perhaps the most unexpected but satisfying aspects of the experience were the relationships that formed over the two months. There was camaraderie and good humour between fellow participants and a comforting sense that we’re all in this together. As for our kinesiology students, they were something of a revelation; a very special group and a credit to Acadia.

These were more than just students fulfilling yet another academic requirement. They cared about their cardiac companions with a balance of professionalism and friendship that was refreshing to this somewhat mature group of cardiac survivors. An atmosphere of mutual respect marked every interaction and we really got to know something about these young people and their lives. In short, we were pulling for them as much as they were pulling for us. In fact, when we were retested on the final day of the program, I’m convinced that we all put a little extra effort into each and every stride or stretch or biceps curl. We really wanted our ‘Kin’ student to succeed and that meant we had to succeed.

And we did. When the final test results were compared with the initial scores, there were improvements in virtually every area.

Emma was extraordinary, but also somehow typical of the well-rounded students in the kinesiology class.  She played hockey for Acadia, spent her summers fishing for lobster back home in PEI, worked as a lifeguard, rode horses and, as it turned out, loved Glenna’s peanut butter pie. Honours student Olivia (Liv) Moller was the regular group exercise leader and also a member of the Acadia Axewomen basketball team. When Liv was away on road trips with the nationally ranked Axewomen, Emma’s roommate Alexa Cann, yet another lobster-fishing, hockey-playing, peanut butter pie enthusiast from PEI, led us in group exercises. On those rare occasions when Emma had a scheduling conflict, her role was ably filled by Chantelle, a future gift to the nursing profession or Alice, a “donna entusiasta” from Milan, Italy.

Assistant professor O’Neill reflects and models the special qualities it takes to be successful in the demanding and rewarding field of kinesiology.  The Truro native recently won the Gary Ness Professor Appreciation Award, presented annually to a professor in the department whom students feel is deserving of special recognition. The students chose well.  The criteria for the award includes the following statement: “This professor provides the students with compassion, honesty, and wisdom and considers the students’ well-being as paramount.”

Dr. O’Neill and her colleagues in the School of Kinesiology have done a superb job of endowing their students with those same qualities, and those of us who have faced cardiac challenges are the beneficiaries of that legacy.

Acadia should be proud to host such a progressive, professional, smoothly operated kinesiology department on their campus. The administration and faculty deserve national recognition for the initiatives they have undertaken, and those in the Valley with cardiac issues are fortunate to have such a trove of talent in our backyard. The Acadia Cardiac Maintenance Program is the perfect example of the Valley community partnering with Acadia students, faculty and staff to the benefit of all. A rare win-win-win scenario.

Pictured above: Dr. Carley O'Neill ('14) with Jim Prime ('69) and Olivia Moller.

Pictured below: Alexa Cann, Emma Dixon, Jim Prime ('69) and his wife, Glenna.