‘Top of Ohio’ Chapter begins 2023 in new meeting location
“It’s great to be alive and to help others” is the motto of the national Mended Hearts organization. This statement is certainly fitting for a Rushsylvania area resident, who has served on the local, regional and national level of the peer-to-peer support program and has a passion for using his first-hand experiences and studied knowledge through the organization to bolster individuals who are traversing this same path.
An energetic 84-year-old Bruce Norris, who will celebrate his 85th birthday in April, is currently the president of the local Mended Hearts Top of Ohio Chapter 69, which will mark its 29th anniversary this year.
February is American Heart Month, and with this special emphasis, he invites any heart patients, caregivers, family members or community members to join in with the group, which meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., now at a new location — the first floor conference room of the Mary Rutan Health Center, 1134 N. Main St., Bellefontaine.
“Sharing your stories with each other — it can be so valuable,” said Mr. Norris, who in 2011 was tapped by the Mended Hearts national office to serve as assistant regional director for the Central Region of the U.S. to oversee chapters in Ohio. He worked in that role for 11 years, including being elected to a four-year term as the regional director.
The Bellefontaine native said despite health difficulties in his past, he feels better than ever after a complex and risky, but very successful, open heart surgery in 2017 to repair the back of his heart when he was 80 years old. The surgery was his third open heart procedure and followed a lifetime of heart issues that he has courageously and optimistically faced since he was a youngster.
Around age 4 or 5, Mr. Norris said he was diagnosed with having a hole in his heart, a condition that carried with it a lot of fear years ago and little to no treatment options, as surgical corrections for the issue had not yet been developed.
“I was in a wheelchair when I was younger. The doctors told my parents to keep me in bed, as there wasn’t a whole lot they could do at that time,” he said.
“I had to re-learn how to walk at age 7, when I went to school. I wasn’t allowed to participate physical education until I was a junior in high school.”
Decades later, Mr. Norris is able to lead an active lifestyle alongside his wife, Louise, with whom he marked 60 years of marriage in January. The couple finds themselves busy nearly every day of the week with various volunteer activities, including at the Logan County History Center and at their church, Bellefontaine First United Methodist. Mr. Norris also works one day a week at the church to complete his duties as the financial secretary.
Coping with heart disease is not an easy task at any age, and Mr. and Mrs. Norris have been able to give and receive a tremendous amount of support in their integral roles in the Mended Hearts Top of Ohio Chapter 69.
In addition to his local duties, Mr. Norris also is serving another term as the assistant regional director of the Central Region.
The heart patient advocate recalls his invitation to join the chapter in 2002 after his first open heart surgery at the OSU Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. When he arrived back home, Mr. Norris was contacted by Larry Kildow, who offered support and took him to his cardiac rehabilitation appointments.
“Larry continued to keep in close touch, answering questions and offering emotional support as Bruce recovered,” Mrs. Norris recalled. “Bruce attended his first Mended Hearts meeting after his recovery.”
Mended Hearts is the nation’s oldest and largest peer-support program for patients who have cardiovascular disease, their caregivers and their families. It was founded in 1951 in Boston by cardiologist Dr. Dwight Harken, when five of his patients met together to support one another after heart surgery. Today, there are Mended Hearts, Little Mended Hearts and Young Mended Hearts chapters around the world.
Prior to her husband’s first open heart surgery in 2002, Mrs. Norris remembers how she felt anticipating the major operation.
“I was scared to death,” she said. “At OSU Hospital, I was able to watch an educational video that explained what he would look like in the ICU after surgery. It was quite helpful.
“Through Mended Hearts, we are able to help patients and families who are going through the very same types of procedures and rehabilitation, with information and emotional support.”
Locally, the first organizational meeting of the Mended Hearts was Oct. 20, 1994, at Mary Rutan Hospital, where 74 individuals showed their interest by attending. The first chapter officers and chapter name “Top Of Ohio” were decided on Dec. 8, 1994. In February of 1995, the chapter’s charter was received from the national Mended Hearts organization.
At that the very first organizational meeting, the buddy system of support for rehab patients was noted, as “Mended Hearts trained visiting members understand the emotions of a heart event because they have had that experience themselves.”
Mr. Norris, who has survived five heart attacks, is now an accredited visiting member with Mended Hearts, after completing the required eight-hour course, along with the annual refresher courses. As a former Mary Rutan Hospital cardiac rehabilitation patient who completed four rounds of rehab there, he brings that experience with him during his regular visits with cardiac rehab patients at MRH.
That same type of educational and emotional support are found at the group’s meetings each month. The meetings typically include a health professional speaker, who presents educational programs on a variety of topics of interest to heart patients, their family members and caretakers.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the local Mended Hearts had to suspend these regular monthly gathering for a time, but in the fall of 2022, began meeting again in person.
During January, the group moved its sessions to the Mary Rutan Health Center, which is more easily accessible for heart patients, Mr. and Mrs. Norris noted. The next meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Meetings take place monthly, with the exception of no meetings in July, August and November.
Mary Rutan Hospital and the OSU Heart and Vascular Center of Bellefontaine are longtime partners with the Mended Hearts Top of Ohio Chapter 69.
“Mended Hearts has been an ancillary part of cardiac rehab and for cardiology patients here for decades,” said Mike Hoehn, Mary Rutan Hospital director of cardiopulmonary services. “The relationships that have been developed and the psychosocial aspects for our patients are so important, as they’re dealing with traumatic experiences in their lives.”
Patty Reames, OSU Heart and Vascular Center of Bellefontaine practice manager, noted the high-quality care that all types of heart patients can receive through this partnership, in a close-to-home setting.
“It’s a very well-rounded scope for our patients; we’re very appreciative of all of the support they are receiving,” she said. “While they might have their surgery in Columbus, they can do all of their follow-up care here.”
Mr. Norris has been able to complete his follow-up care through regular appointments at the OSU Heart and Vascular Center of Bellefontaine, 2200 Timber Trail. A full array of medical services are available there for cardiac care and management, from nuclear stress tests, to echocardiograms, stress echocardiograms, carotid ultrasound, venous duplex ultrasounds, arterial exams, 30-day event monitors, holter monitors, electrophysiology (heart arrhythmia) consultations, anti-arrhythmic monitoring clinic and vascular angiograms.
In addition to the cardiac rehabilitation program and the cardiovascular services available at Mary Rutan Hospital, the facility also opened a level II cardiac catheterization laboratory in September of 2020, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
“It’s an amazing service that has saved many lives,” Hoehn said. “Our (emergency room) door-to-balloon time of under 60 minutes is our goal, as it’s a national standard. We were well under that mark in January.”
For additional information or questions about the Mended Hearts Top of Ohio Chapter, contact Mr. Norris at (937) 935-1747 or e-mail bnorris. The national Mended Hearts website is www.mendedhearts.org and phone number is (229) 518-2680.