When Brian Janek had a heart attack, he was at the fire station. He suddenly became nauseous and was having trouble breathing. The medic unit identified that he was having a heart attack and immediately took him to Ascension Seton Williamson.
The Ascension Seton Williamson cardiac rehab team tailored a program to meet Brian’s unique needs as a first responder.
“As a firefighter, knowing there are certain things he needs to be able to do to get back to that job, it was a perfect opportunity for us to make this an individual program for him and something that he would enjoy doing,” said Cathy Spranger, DrPH, Manager Clinical Progress, Ascension Seton.
Brian’s return to work would include carrying fire hoses and needing plenty of endurance for his physically demanding job, so they designed rehab exercises for him like pulling ropes and wearing a weighted vest on the treadmill.
The team’s creativity and holistic attention to Brian’s needs helped him not just get back to life, but back to living. It gave him the confidence he needed to return to his life as a firefighter and an active outdoorsman.
“What they were able to do for me was restore my confidence that I was able to do my job going forward. I’m ready to go back to work,” said Brian.
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