Wisconsin Resident Wins Ecotrin National Heart Patient of the Year Award.

Business Editors, Health/Medical Writers

MIDDLETON, Wis.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 2, 2000

Middleton resident Grant Smith is the national winner of the 1999 Ecotrin(R) Heart Patient of the Year Award.

His success has earned him $5,000 and recognition of his extraordinary efforts to reduce his risk for a second heart attack. He was chosen from hundreds of entrants from across the country.

Established in 1988, the Ecotrin Heart Patient of the Year Program honors heart attack survivors who turn their close brush with death into a second chance at life. By drawing attention to the winners' dramatic lifestyle changes to reduce their risk for a secondary heart attack, the Ecotrin Heart Patient of the Year Program seeks to create role models for other cardiovascular patients. The examples set by the winners should encourage anyone at risk for a heart attack to lower their risk factors before tragedy strikes.

After suffering a major heart attack and congestive heart failure in 1998, Smith was informed that only 25 percent of his heart muscle was working. On an oxygen tank and with lungs filled with fluid, he was not a candidate for a heart transplant due to his poor physical condition. He had three bypasses and had two arteries left partially blocked. Smith was told by his physician that he had a chance to clear the blocked arteries through lifestyle changes and exercise.

Smith weighed more than 304 pounds at the time of his heart attack, had a three-cigar-a-day habit and drank three to four alcoholic drinks a day. He suffered from bouts of stress, gout, dizziness, high blood pressure and numbness in his arms, hands and legs. Smith was informed that he would need to lose 104 pounds in a balanced, heart healthy way in order to turn his life around. &uot;I remember the shocked look on his face when I told the doctor to consider it (the weight) off,&uot; commented Smith.

With help from the cardiac rehabilitation program at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic, he has lost more than 104 pounds in 12 months, no longer needs an oxygen tank and has regulated his blood pressure and heart rate. Smith has limited his intake of fat grams to less than 15 percent of his daily caloric intake and has a rigorous exercise routine that includes walking three miles a day, canoeing, bicycling and skiing. He no longer suffers from gout and dizziness and claims the numbness in his limbs is all but gone.

Patrick McBride, M.D., preventive cardiologist, praises Smith's positive attitude, saying, &uot;Grant is proof positive that you can change your lifestyle after years of bad habits. He has taken the prescription for a healthy heart seriously and enlisted the help of his family and his healthcare team. It is wonderful to see what we already know about secondary prevention at work in him.&uot;

While Smith has overcome several physical obstacles, he has also overcome emotional hurdles. &uot;The most difficult part of my rehabilitation was confronting and changing my behavior,&uot; he admitted. &uot;My excessive smoking, overeating and drinking were all ways of coping with my stress. After I eliminated all of these `physical' problems during rehab, I uncovered all of the `real' underlying problems. When I realized that I needed to work on both sets of problems, I truly began my recovery.&uot;

Smith maintains that his success could not have happened without the support of others, particularly from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic's cardiac rehabilitation unit. &uot;The staff and fellow participants really can relate to the emotional and physical changes you are going through. I've realized that sometimes it takes more strength to accept help than it does to tackle a problem on your own.&uot;

Each year, physicians, cardiac rehabilitation facilities and hospitals from across the country participate in the Ecotrin Heart Patient of the Year program by nominating people who they feel best reflect the ideal role model. The Ecotrin Heart Patient of the Year's Advisory Committee, an independent panel of leading cardiac healthcare professionals, carefully reviews award nominations. The committee selects people who have made extraordinary changes in their lives following a cardiac event, such as changes in diet, physical fitness, smoking habits and strategies for stress management.