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APRIL 5 2012 ISSUE 1047
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THE HEARTBEAT OF PENRITH
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Property JOHN BURNOW TALKS ABOUT HEART HEALTH WITH JANICE SMITH ON TUESDAY MORNING. PHOTO: MELINDA JENKINS
Plea from the heart Exclusive: A special insight into heart condition recovery CASSANDRA O CONNOR
F
or John Burnow, 81, last Valentine’s Day was not about the passion of his heart, a romantic dinner, roses or chocolates. Instead, Mr Burnow was on the operating table having a triple bypass open-heart surgery. He is just one of 30,000 Australians who will be diagnosed with a chronic heart condition this year alone, prompting a plea for locals to brush up on their heart health knowledge. Mr Burnow was one of millions who don’t realise
that heart disease is the number one killer in the country and has been for more than 60 years. “I had symptoms for a long time that could not be diagnosed but fi nally a stress test and angiogram found that I had a blockage. One week later I was in hospital having surgery and then seven days after that I went home,” he said. “I have been lucky that I have had good doctors who were able to fi nd the problem and fi x it.” Now, Mr Burnow is in rehabilitation at Nepean Hospital trying to change his lifestyle habits and exercise patterns to reduce his risk of heart failure. “The improvements are slow and gradual, but I am defi nitely improving with the classes,” he said.
Volunteers from the Nepean Blue Mountains Support Group attend the rehabilitation classes to lend a helping hand to patients. “Having the volunteers at the classes is great because they have been through what I have and it is great support,” Mr Burnow said. As testimony to the number of people aff ected by heart disease and heart failure, the Cardiac Support Group is some 230 members strong – most being ex-patients themselves. Ernie Oliver, secretary of the group, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 1997, and in 2000 had a heart transplant. Continues on page 10
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