PULSE BRAVE HEART SIMI VALLEY TEEN USES HIS OWN CARDIAC CONDITION AS SUBJECT OF STUDENT FILMMAKING PROJECT.

Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer

AFTER SURVIVING four heart surgeries by age 15, Dustin Bowers was tired and discouraged - and who could blame him? Two months ago, on a trip from his Simi Valley home to a special gym for cardiac patients in Tarzana, Dustin turned to his mother and said, ``I wish I didn't have to do this.''

``Oh, come on,'' said Wendy Holdsworth, his mother. ``You're the Cardiac Kid.''

Her words not only boosted his spirits but inspired him to channel his experience into art. A sophomore at performing arts-technology magnet Santa Susana High School, Dustin decided to make a movie about his recovery process, modeled on the 1984 film ``The Karate Kid.'' He plans to show the movie at his school in the upcoming academic year.

``At the end of the movie, the Cardiac Kid doesn't fight,'' Dustin said. ``He exercises.''

A white towel draped around his neck, Dustin had just finished an hourlong workout at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, where he walked on a treadmill, rode a stationary bike and lifted dumbbells. The program is designed to boost confidence in cardiac patients who, like Dustin, are fearful physical activity could trigger another heart attack.

Dustin, a lanky kid with spiky hair, was born with a heart defect. Last September, while on a trip to Hurricane Harbor with his father, Jeff Bowers, he suffered from ventricular tachycardia, a rapid heartbeat. Surgeons implanted what's called an AICD - automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator - in his chest. The device, which Vice President Dick Cheney also has, functions as a miniature shock paddle should Dustin have another attack.

After the most recent surgery, Dustin was afraid to walk four blocks from the school bus stop to his home. Walking even a block left him huffing and puffing. To improve his fitness level in a safe setting, he enrolled in the Encino-Tarzana program, going three days a week for two months.

While working out, patients wear battery-operated heart monitors that send data to a computer station, where critical-care nurses keep an eye on their progress. Most of the patients are a good 40 to 50 years older than Dustin, and some initially expressed surprise at seeing a teenager next to them on the treadmills. But Dustin handled the questions about his condition with poise, said Peggy Michaud, the program's nurse manager.

``He's taken it all in stride,'' Michaud said. ``He wants to be able to do the things a normal 15-year-old does.''

Dustin has increased his strength and stamina to the point that he can go in-line skating and swimming with his friends.

``This has been a confidence boost for me, too, to see him working out,'' Holdsworth said.

For the film, Dustin shot the final scene at the rehabilitation center. In the scene, the Cardiac Kid meets his target heart training rate, urged on by his sensei, played by Dustin's friend Mike Mashy.

``No matter what you get, you've got to make the best of it,'' Dustin said. ``Be positive and optimistic. That's the moral of the film.''

GUT CHECK: This message is for the men out there. If your once sleek abdomen has turned into a round mound of rebound, you might want to pick up a copy of ``The Men's Health Belly-Off Program'' (Rodale; $19.95). The editors at Men's Health will tell you why beer goes straight to the belly and why carrying around that spare tire can be hazardous to your health. There's nothing sexy about their formula - mostly old-fashioned diet and exercise. But if brotherhood is what it takes to get going, read on.

- M.T.

FOR KIDS: Tickets are available for the third annual Party on the Pier event benefiting Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA. Funds raised will go toward patient care, research on childhood diseases and training for pediatricians. The event, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 22 at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, will feature rides, carnival booths, snacks, entertainment and music. General admission tickets cost $50 for adults and $20 for children ages 16 and under; children under age 2 admitted free. To order tickets, please call UCLA's Central Ticket Office at [phone], or visit www.tickets.ucla.edu.

- M.T.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Dustin Bowers, 15, pumps iron at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center's Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Bowers is making a movie about his recovery from heart surgery.

(2) A nurse checks Bowers' heart rate after a workout; most of the patients in the rehabilitation program are 40 or 50 years older than the teenager.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

(3) no caption (book: ``Belly-Off Program'')