Download Every Beat of My Heart

Mended Hearts Central Region
Every Beat of My Heart
Volume 1, Issue 1
3rd Quarter 2014
Central Region
RD: Jana Stewart
ARDs: Bruce Norris
(Ohio, Michigan)
This year the Central Region had more members attending the conference than any other
region. Sixty-one members were in attendance from the Central Region, which included
17 MLH members. There were 14 Central Region chapters represented at the conference.
The Louisville Chapter #11 had the most attendees with 12 members participating. Seven
MLH groups attended with the Cincinnati group, Columbus group, West Michigan and SW
Pennsylvania groups having 3 attendees each. Reports show that everyone had a great
time and thought that the conference was educational and very worthwhile.
Becky Witt
(Ohio, Kentucky,
West Virginia)
Linda Mason
(Indiana)
Jo Ann Kats
(Kentucky, Indiana)
Jana Stewart
(Indiana, West Virginia)
I N S I D E T HI S I S S UE :
Conference Photos
1
National News
2-3
MHI/MLH Updates
4-9
MHI Press Release
10
Regional Awards
11
CHD Support
12
Activity Trackers
13
Contact Info.
14-15
Sleep & Cardiovascular Disease
16
Kristin Castiglione, Editor
[email protected]
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62nd Annual MHI
National Conference Photos
Redesigning New HeartPack
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Nationa
AFib-Stroke Education Initiative
Mended Hearts recently received a national grant
from Bristol-Myers-Squibb to
implement an educational initiative
on AFib and AFib-related stroke for
chapters. This grant is a
partnership with HeartCaring, a
cardiovascular outreach program in
hospitals. Together, Mended
Hearts volunteer members and
HeartCaring designated providers
will work to increase awareness to action as
consumers learn about atrial fibrillation (AFib) and
the resulting increased risk of AFib related stroke.
Fifty Mended Hearts chapters have been selected to
participate in this initiative based on their active
visiting programs. The Central Region has 6
chapters that will take part in this initiative: Chapter
#11 in Louisville, KY-Baptist Health, Chapter #61 in
Dayton, OH-Kettering Medical Center, Chapter
#107 in Evansville, IN-Deaconess Gateway,
Chapter #115 in Lexington, KY-Baptist Health,
Chapter #350 in Noblesville, IN-Riverview Hospital
and Chapter #383 in Indianapolis North, INCommunity Heart & Vascular Hospital.
There will be three training conference calls in
August on the AFib and Stroke Education Initiative.
The dates of these calls are:
Wednesday, August 20th at 4pm ET/3pm CT
Monday, August 25th at 3pm ET/2pm CT
Tuesday, August 26th at 7pm ET/6pm CT
MHI is asking for at least one representative from
each participating chapter to participate in one of
these calls. To register for one of these calls, please
sign-up HERE.
This program will officially launch in September
which is AFib National Awareness Month. Chapters
are encouraged to hold an educational session on
AFib and AFib-related stroke at a chapter meeting in
the fall by asking a local physician or nurse to
present during a chapter meeting.
The new HeartPack will debut in January 2015. This
next-generation Heartpack will be interactive and will
serve as an organizational tool for both patients and
caregivers. It will help them organize their
paperwork, plan conversations with healthcare
providers and assist with medication management.
The National Office will be developing an app for
smartphones and tablets that will mirror this
interactivity.
“In the News” Page
You may or may not be aware that the Mended
Hearts National web site now has an “In the News”
page. This page shows recent Press Release
information and Media Coverage articles on Mended
Hearts. The link to this page can be found on the
Mended Hearts Home page on the top right side of
the screen next to the Search Button.
Mended Little Hearts Update
MLH is currently updating all of their materials
provided in the “Little Heart Pack” along with the
content of their Bravery Bag. This effort couldn’t
have been done without the feedback from parents
and families during a very emotionally draining time
in their lives. MLH is also filming Leadership Training
Videos to be used by new and existing group
leaders. Once completed, these videos will be
posted on the MLH web site for leaders to access.
Conf. Presentations on Web Site
For those of you not able to attend this year’s
conference, the presentations from the educational
sessions and CHD Symposium can now be found in
the officer section of the National MHI web site. If
you already haven’t done so, please take a moment
and share this information with your members at your
next chapter meeting.
Chapter/Group Web Sites
The National Office is currently developing individual
chapter and group web sites that can be accessed
from our main sites: mendedhearts.org and
mendedlittlehearts.org. Visitors to these sites will
soon be able to type in a zip code to find the nearest
local chapter or group. Once the prototypes are
complete, additional information will be shared with
the chapter presidents and group coordinators so
they can learn how to maintain and update their
chapter sites.
- Page 2 -
Patient Advocacy Videos
All Marketplace Items On Sale
Mended Hearts, in conjunction with ACC, has
created short informative videos to assist our
members tp tell their story about heart disease to the
press or local lawmakers. The Mended Hearts
Patient Advocacy Training Videos are a perfect tool
to help members share their stories effectively and
with inspiration and to help increase awareness of
the tremendous good Mended Hearts and Mended
Little Hearts are doing nationwide. The link to the
Patient Advocacy Videos can be found on the “Get
Involved” page on the Mended Hearts National web
site.
All marketplace items are currently 50% off until
inventory is depleted! This discount applies to
current inventory ONLY - no rain checks! All
discounts will be applied prior to charging your credit
card. This offer excludes the 10% discount when
you purchase ten or more of one item. Don’t let this
opportunity pass you by!
Conference Photos Available
New Logos for MHI and MLH
The Mended Hearts, Inc. recently introduced two
new logos for both Mended Hearts and Mended Little
Hearts. The red ribbon simultaneously celebrates
and mends the heart. It is a symbol of passion,
strength, action, and perseverance.
An “official” press release announcing these logos
was launched on August 6th. National will begin to
rebrand all of our materials , including HeartPack,
membership brochures, websites, social media and
merchandise. In addition, National will be creating
individual chapter and group logos. Once all logos
have been designed, you will be able to download
the National logos as well as the chapter/group logos
from the officer web site.
If you attended this year’s
conference and would like to
purchase photos taken at the
event, please contact the
conference photographer, Georgia
Litson, [email protected]. Total
print price is: 4x6 = $1.10, 5x7 =
$2.51, 8x10 = $4.28 and 9x12 = $8.53. All orders
include an $11 S & H fee. The deadline to order
prints in Sept. 26, 2014. You can view the photos by
clicking on the following links:
Day 1 Photos
Day 2 Photos
Day 3 Photos
Day 4 Photos
Central Regional
Connections Meeting
Heartbeat Magazine - Summer ‘14
For those of you who have not received it yet, the
Summer 2014 edition of Heartbeat Magazine should
be arriving at your doorstep any day now. The
feature article in this magazine discusses how
Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts are
embarking on an independent course for the first
time in more than 19 years. Our very own
Kentuckiana Chapter 11 and MLH of West Michigan
group are both featured in the magazine. The
Summer edition of the Heartbeat Magazine can be
found on the Mended Hearts National web site.
The next Central Regional Connections
Meeting will be held in Dayton, OH on
Saturday, October 25th. More details
to follow. Please mark your calendars
NOW. We hope to see representation
there from each of our MHI chapters and
MLH groups!
- Page 3 -
Since the MHN conference, one of our members
Thumbs up to our MHI/MLH
succeeded
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o n our chapter on line with a new
Chapters/Groups!
website, www.mendedheartschapter11.weebly.com
and keeps our Facebook page updated.
Other events coming up that we will participate in is
our Inaugural Golf Scramble scheduled for Sept. 3rd,
the AHA Heart Walk on Sept. 20th, and don't forget
our Christmas Party.
Let’s hear from our MHI chapters…
Louisville, KY - Chapter #11
Kentuckiana Chapter #11 hit the road running in
2014. It has been a great year thus far, and I'm sure
will continue through out the rest of the year.
We have a wonderful group of individuals that work
very hard to see our chapter succeed and in trying to
get our message out to our area so we can support
others. All three of our hospitals support us where
they can. They provide snacks and drinks at our
monthly meetings, which are the 3rd Monday of each
month; they help identify speakers each month that
provide interesting and current topics at our monthly
meetings; and financially support the Chapter efforts
to send members to the national conference each
year. I am proud and honored to be the president of
such a wonderful chapter.
Sandy Larimore, Chapter President
Raised funds
for “National
Day of Giving”
at the Uptown
Art Studio.
Starting on February 20th, the Bullitt County Health
Department, Mended Hearts Chapter, and many
other organizations, hosted a "Healthy Hearts Wear
Red Luncheon" for heart awareness month. Dr.
William C Dillon, from Baptist Health Hospital
(formerly Baptist East Hospital) gave the keynote
speech to approximately 240 attendees. We raised
$2,423 for the AHA Heart Walk.
The Kentuckiana Chapter #11 held it's 40th
Anniversary Dinner celebration at Kentucky One
Health (formerly Jewish Hospital) with Dr. Mark
Slaughter, Professor/Chief, Division of Thoracic &
Cardiovascular Surgery, Kentucky One Health filling
in for Dr. William DeVries, who was detained due to
a snow storm on the east coast.
2013 Team
Photo.
Appreciation lunches were given by all three
hospitals that Mended Hearts are accredited with in
April.
We volunteered and participated in AHA's "Go RED
for Women Luncheon" which had approximately
1,000 attendees in May and we raised $261 for the
"National Day of Giving" at the Uptown Art Studio
(where you are instructed to paint a picture) in honor
of Dr Harken's birthday.
Chapter #11 had 12 members attend the 62nd MHN
Education & Training conference in Indianapolis, IN,
where Joyce and Richmond Marcy won the "Central
Regional Visitor of the Year Award" and our
Kentuckiana Chapter #11 received the "President's
Cup Award."
- Page 4 -
In February,
co-hosted a
“Healthy
Hearts Wear
Red Luncheon” for heart
awareness
month.
Cincinnati, OH - Chapter #35
Akron, OH - Chapter #59
Mended Hearts Chapter 35 was chartered in 1976 to
serve the greater Cincinnati, Ohio and northern
Kentucky region. As of July 2014, we serve four
hospitals with accredited Mended Hearts Visitors.
Our chapter has 56 members, 17 of these members
are accredited visitors. We are always looking for
more members and the opportunity to train more
visitors who want to volunteer. Area hospitals, other
than the four currently being served, are interested in
our activities. We are, however, limited by the
number of visitor volunteers we have at present.
We recently got some publicity that was in our
newspaper about Mended Hearts, Chapter
#59, Huggy Pillows project. The newspaper
contacted Our Accredited Visitor Coordinator,
Richard Piersol , who currently is the only person
from our chapter who is accredited to visit heart
patients in SICU. It was a very good article that
tells that Mended Hearts, Inc. was established to
give help and encouragement to heart disease
patients and their families. We were proud that the
paper gave us such good publicity and we are proud
of our Huggy Pillows that is our gift to heart patients.
Three members of Chapter 35 attended the 2014
Mended Hearts Annual Education & Training
Conference in Indianapolis. It was most enjoyable
and informative. Sorry, our members took no
pictures, but I know that we were included in some.
We are starting work on our 2015 Heartalk Bulletin
that is planned to be issued January 4, 2015.
Current effort is to select chapter meeting places,
dates and speakers. The Bulletin will be sent to all
our members and will be included in the package to
be given patients visited in the year 2015 or to their
families.
Frank Iden, Chapter President
Zanesville, OH - Chapter 51
The volunteer awards banquet was held on April
24th. Some of their members reached milestones.
Congratulations to:
John Hann: 100 hours, Terry Tysinger: 100 hours,
Patty Tysinger: 100 hours, Gene Murdock: 1,000
hours and Marilyn McHugh: 1,500 hours
On May 28th the Zanesville Chapter was asked to
take part in a North Pointe Fitness Institute seminar.
They set up a table with some brochures, photo
album, etc. to get the word out about their program.
President Mark Hennessey attended the Heart
Chase event and was able to give a talk about their
Mended Hearts program to the group. The event
raised $29,944!
The Zanesville Chapter’s annual picnic was held on
July 8th. It sounds like it should be quite fun!
May/July “Bridge To The Heart” Newsletters
The updates included in this section were either
provided by the MHI Chapter Presidents and
MLH Coordinators or taken from recent MHI
chapter newsletters. If your chapter/group was
not spotlighted in this newsletter edition, we hope
to hear from you next time. For those chapters
who publish newsletters, please continue to copy
Jana Stewart and myself on your newsletters.
Thank you!
Dick Piersol and I wrote a letter that we passed out
to all the doctors about our need for extra money to
continue making the pillows and we got a good
response from the hospital administrator who
donated a $1,000 toward the pillows.
Our meetings are every second Tuesday of the
month at 1:00 p.m. Our Program Chairperson,
Doris Patterson, is the one who gets speakers for
our meetings. We have very good doctors from the
hospital who volunteer to be our guest speakers and
we also have nurses from different departments and
physical therapists who volunteer. We have at least
one or two speakers a year who are not in the
medical field such as one who spoke on fire
prevention and another speaker who warned us
about scam artists.
The guest speaker we are happy to have in
September of this year is Conrad “Smokey” Everett,
who is United States Secret Service, Special Agent
in Charge, of the Cleveland Field Office. He spoke
to our group several years ago and we will be
anxious to have him again.
We have our annual picnic which is in August that
we enjoy. We bring our favorite covered dish, table
service, etc.
We also play bingo. This is a fun time of fellowship. We usually have gifts of not more than
$5.00, and when they are all gone, we continue
playing bingo and winners can take someone
else’s prize. There’s no casualties – we still remain
as friends.
James E. Patterson, Chapter President
To read the article in the Akron Beacon
Journal about Richard Piersol and the
Huggy Pillows Project, click on the button to the left.
Read Article
- Page 5 -
Dayton, OH - Chapter #61
Bellefontaine, OH - Chapter #69
Our membership is continuing to grow. We had 43
active members at the end of 2013. In six months,
our membership has grown to 60 active members, 23
of whom are accredited visitors. Five of these
accredited visitors are now accredited in more than
one hospital. We currently serve three hospitals in
the Dayton area and are in the process of adding
another to our list of partnering hospitals soon. The
target for adding the fifth hospital is later this year.
Their annual picnic was held on July 24th at Rutan
Park in Bellefontaine. Everyone was asked to bring a
“heart healthy” dish to share. It sounds like they had
great food, games and lots of good fellowship!
In regards to our community effort, we joined forces
with the Centerville Americana Festival where on July
4th, eight of us manned a booth which allowed us to
spread the word in our community about our chapter
and MHI. The attendance at the festival was
estimated to be between 75,000 and 100,000 people.
We are going to need a better booth next year.
In order to get to know all of the members of Wright
Hearts Chapter #61 it was decided to cancel our
August Chapter meeting in lieu of having a cookout
for all of our members and their families.
People are starting to find us through our web site as
well as word of mouth. This indicates that our
communications are starting to pay off. There were
four leads from the web site and three were
converted into multiple phone visits with some
potential members. There was one referral from a
volunteer department that was converted into both a
pre-intervention and post-intervention visit. Thanks
to help from Scott Eitman of Mended Hearts Chapter
#138 we are starting to implement phase two of our
communications improvements by integrating a
database with our newsletter and web site along with
a more user-friendly and “new and improved” look for
our web site.
Kelvin Fudge, Chapter President
Wright Hearts members
(plus a granddaughter of
one of the members) at
July 4th Americana Festival
in Centerville, OH.
Their newsletter editor, Louise Norris, won Honorable
Mention for her newsletter at the convention.
Congratulations Louise!
There are two local Farmer’s Markets in or near
Bellefontaine, the Logan County Farmer’s Market
and the Farmer’s Market at Mary Rutan Hospital.
Farmer’s Markets provide a large variety of fresh
fruits, vegetables and other locally produced
products. This is a great way find healthy foods, at
reasonable prices. And best of all, you will be
helping the local economy and local farmers as well.
June/July “The Heart Beat” Newsletters
Indianapolis, IN - Chapter #78
At this time, Chapter #78 is going through some
changes, and we are trying to get back on track. We
held our annual garage sale in June, and we are
planning a raffle this fall. We are currently trying to
raise money for our chapter and focusing on getting
and retaining members.
On July 4th, members and friends of Chapter #78
attended an Indianapolis Indians Baseball Game .
This is an annual trip we do together as a chapter.
Attendees sat in a good reserved section at the
Indians ballgame and afterwards enjoyed watching
fireworks at the stadium as well as those of
downtown Indianapolis.
Pamela Hudson, Chapter President
Evansville, IN - Chapter #107
We have good news to report, 4 members from our
chapter; Jana Stewart, Tom Southwell, and Larry &
Madonna Preske attended the National Mended
Hearts Conference. It was held in Indianapolis this
year. This is the first time in a long time that Chapter
107 was represented by more than one member. We
had a fundraiser of sorts for the Day of Giving
National Project and raised close to $250 all total for
Dr. Harken's birthday celebration. Our visiting
program is going well and our visitors are keeping
busy even though it's summer time. Be sure to go to
our chapter's website at www.mendedhearts107.org
and also visit our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/MendedHeartsEvansvilleIndiana.
Jana Stewart, Chapter President
- Page 6 -
Lexington, KY - Chapter #115
Lima, OH - Chapter #111
Chapter 111 had a continuing string of interesting
and motivating speakers over the course of our
September to June “Year”.
September, 2013 began with David Faulkner, a
Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist, who talked
about what exercise program we should/could
maintain after completing the hospital based Cardiac
Therapy Program.
October brought speaker Sherri Wissman from the
OSU Transplant Center, speaking on Ventricular
Support Devices – Bridge to Transplant. We also
had a local guest talk about his experience with a
ventricular support device and his subsequent heart
transplant.
For November, we had as our speaker Dr. Anthony
Pothoulakis, MD, a cardiologist associated with West
Central OH Cardiology Inc. His presentation was on
“Cardiometabolic Disease in the Era of Obesity
Epidemic”
In December we had our traditional Christmas Party
Meeting at a favorite local restaurant, The Old Barn
Out Back, and after dining, we were entertained by a
local singing group.
Our January, 2014 meeting was cancelled due to
snow and ice!
In February, Mother Nature again prevented us from
having a meeting.
Finally in March, the skies were clear and we had Dr.
Sam Rahman, MD, talk about heart arrhythmia and
atrial fibrillation. Dr. Rahman is an interventional
cardiologist.
In April, we had Dr. J.Franklin Oaks, who specializes
in vascular surgery, speak about PVD, Peripheral
Vascular Disease.
In May, Jim Reber, former CEO of St. Rita’s Hospital,
and Andee Henson, a local health insurance sales
specialist, presented the topic of Dealing with the
Healthcare Insurance System.
In June, we had our annual spring “picnic”, again at
The Old Barn, and were informed about The Mended
Little Hearts by a family team of Hollee and Glenn
Stanton, along with Gabriel and Grayson.
We are now making plans to start up again in
September with many more excellent speakers and
programs.
Larry Hicks, Chapter President
Bluegrass Chapter #115, Lexington was chartered
February 28, 1981. 46 individuals signed the Charter
petition. At that time, memberships were classified
as “Active” (heart patient) or Associate (spouses and
other interested persons). There were 19 Active and
27 Associate members. We visit in the three local
heart hospitals – Baptist Health Lexington, St.
Joseph, and the University of Kentucky Chandler
Medical Center.
Baptist Health Lexington was
nominated for and selected Central Region Hospital
of the Year in 2013 and 2014. All of our accredited
visitors are members of the volunteer organization in
the hospital where they visit. Many of these also
have other volunteer assignments.
Our efforts have been recognized nationally by The
Mended Hearts, Inc. In 1994 and 2014, our Chapter
was awarded the President’s Cup. In 1995, 1997,
and 2008 we received the President’s Cup RunnerUp Award. In 2014, our newsletter, The Pacer,
received the national Newsletter of the Year award.
Alice Slucher had been the editor for 25 years, and is
now retired. She had also been Central Region
Newsletter Chair.
Four of our members, Jean
Richardson, Francis Carpenter Jack Ping, and Becky
Witt have served as Assistant Regional Director in
the Central Region. Becky Witt was MC of the 2008
Convention in Orlando, and is currently serving as
Assistant Regional Director. She is also the Central
Region’s member of the National Nominating
Committee. We have been well-represented at most
of the annual Conventions for the last 20 years.
Francis Carpenter, Chapter President
What is the best type of
exercise for heart health?
Although physical activity is key to good heart
health, there is no single exercise that’s best for
everyone. Most adults should get at least 2 hours
and 30 minutes of aerobic activity a week and
engage in strength training activities at least twice
a week. Aerobic exercise increases your heart
rate over an extended period of time and includes
activities like walking, swimming or biking.
Strength training helps build muscle and includes
activities like lifting weights or doing pushups.
Together, aerobic exercise and strength training
can boost heart health and promote a healthy
weight.
- Page 7 -
Cleveland, OH - Chapter #138
Summer is half over and the weather in Cleveland has
been beautiful this year.
With the help of Stacy Roll, our website has been
refreshed with a new look. Stacy, the daughter of a
heart patient, reached out and volunteered to assist
with design needs. She made MendedHearts138.org
pop up on our screens faster while displaying more
information on the home page. We look forward to
additional design help with other projects in the future.
At the National Convention, Scott Eitman presented
on the topic of Inspiring Hope via the Internet. His
seminar shared the tools he uses to communicate via
the internet. The tools include the website, email and
database tools. Just as important are the tools that
National has made available. Primarily this included
the Heart Disease Support Community Inspire which
can be found by visiting MendedHearts.org
Eitman used his seminar to roll out the new chapter
design. In addition, he was given the honor of
showing off a test site National is developing. The
new site will create a web presence for those chapters
which do not have one now. This will be similar to
shopping online at any number of big box stores which
after a zip code is entered, take you to the closest
store. In our case, it will assist in getting to the closest
chapter.
Starting in May, we began a test to hopefully inspire
more people to attend our main monthly program. We
are now providing dinner and saw larger numbers at
the June program. Was it Dinner or the speaker, the
jury is still out. Assuming this is the success we
expect, we will be rolling it out to all
programs. Eventually we will reach out to sponsors to
help to ease the costs.
We take the months of July and August off in terms of
our typical programs. However, on August 3rd, Scott
Eitman is hosting our annual picnic at his house. If
you are in the area, please stop by.
Scott Eitman, Chapter President
Farmington Hills, MI - Chapter #291
Not much is going on in our very small group of 15
participants. We hold monthly meetings at Botsford
Hospital except when weather or storms do not permit
it. I am the President , treasurer, and set up the guest
speakers to come and talk. I have two accredited
visitors and one who is almost ready to graduate.
They have sporadic times and dates they come to the
hospital depending on weather, illness or vacations.
We had our July meeting at a member’s house for a
backyard garden party this month.
Lynn Sackett-Hodge, Chapter President
Chapter #291 celebrating their
15 years together at Botsford
Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI.
Springfield, OH - Chapter #342
When I assumed our chapter in August 2012, we had
9 members attending our meetings. Currently, we
have at least 25 members attending meetings, and
membership has grown to 42-44 people. I have two
members who perform meeting phone reminders. I
find this is more personal than a postcard reminder. I
also send personal meeting invitations to people who
have recently been discharged from Springfield
Regional Medical Center following a heart
incident. We have an active visitation program here at
this hospital that I’m very proud of. Our chapter
recently participated in the Mended Hearts National
Day of Giving by raising $135 for this event.
We have had some very informative speakers at our
recent meetings. In March, Ryan Lippe was our
featured speaker. He is a consumer educatorconsumer protection from the office of Attorney
General Mike Dewine. He provided an excellent
presentation on signs of identity theft and prevention
tips. The presentation was free; approximately an
hour long and he provided resources. If other Ohio
chapters are interested in finding out more about how
to schedule a speaker on consumer protection issues,
contact Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine’s office at
www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov or call 800-282-0515.
In May, Sgt. Ralph Underwood from the Clark County
Sheriff’s Office was our guest speaker. He explained
the medicine “drop-off” programs available to Clark
County residents. The goal is to encourage everyone
to empty their medicine cabinets of expired or
unwanted prescription medications. The Ohio
Attorney General’s office and the Clark County
Coroner’s Office have recognized prescription drug
overdoses as one of the leading causes of death in
Ohio.
Carol Haytas, Chapter President
- Page 8 -
for the exciting work our families are doing!
What’s going on
with our MLH
groups:
MLH of Southwestern, PA
Hello! Here is a little info about what the MLH of
Southwestern, PA has been doing!
Each month, we take 25 Care Bags as well as food
and pantry items for Children's Hospital in
Pittsburgh. We have just recently started dropping
off bags and pantry items to the Children's Home in
Pittsburgh as well. We are really excited about that!
We had an amazing team show up to represent MLH
of SWPA at the Pittsburgh Congenital Heart
Walk. Along with the many other groups and
walkers, the total raised from the walk was over
$95,000! The chapter president of the Children's
Heart Foundation summed it up perfectly from the
walk...she said "BE AFRAID CHD...BE VERY
AFRAID!"
The Pittsburgh Pirates generously donated tickets to
two games this summer that our members and
families could attend. Both were great events to talk
with other families.
We are planning an educational meeting with CPR
training. We are also busy working on our Basket
Bash fundraiser, which occurs in October.
Beth McElhaney, Program Chair
MLH of West Michigan
Mended Little Hearts of West Michigan has had a
very busy and exciting spring and start to the
summer. In April, we had an adults’ dinner out where
parents of children with heart defects and adults with
heart defects had an opportunity to meet and
connect. In May, we toured the AeroMed hangar at
the Gerald R. Ford Airport. AeroMed is the helicopter
program that transports the most critical patients in
West Michigan to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
An airport fire truck and the Helen DeVos Children’s
Hospital Neonatal Ambulance were also on-site for
our families to check out. We had a great turnout
and everyone loved sitting in the helicopter, climbing
through the ambulance and talking to the firefighters
and medical staff.
We had three coordinators attend the national
convention in June. Mended Little Hearts of West
Michigan received the Runner Up award for Group
Excellence. We are very honored to be recognized
In June, we implemented a new partnership with
Hearts of Hope Southeast Michigan. Mended Little
Hearts and Hearts of Hope delivered prenatal packs
to the congenital heart centers at C.S. Mott Children’s
Hospital and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to be
distributed to families expecting a baby with a heart
defect. We are happy to report that nearly all of the
new heart families in Michigan will receive helpful
information about what to expect and where to turn
for support.
Jennifer Dougherty, Co-contact
Visiting the
AeroMed Hanger
at the Gerald R.
Ford Airport in
May. This little
guy couldn’t be
happier!
MLH of Cincinnati, OH
Mended Little Hearts of Cincinnati has experienced
tremendous growth in it's 4 years! In the last 2 years
our chapter has taken on expanded leadership and
nearly two dozen new members. Under the newly
expanded leadership of Chair Lisa Butler, Co-Chair
Leslie Sams, Fundraising Coordinator Liz
Schurrer our chapter now has regular meetings at
Cincinnati Children's and an adult/teen groupSurviving CHD under the leadership of Danielle
Fritsche. We continue to make exciting connections
with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
and patients. The chapter is now planning our first
official picnic this year, as well as fall and winter
member events! Care packages are reaching
patients and letting them know that we are here to
support them on this unexpected and at times scary
journey.
Our chapter was honored to be a part of Advocacy
Day in Washington D.C. in February of this
year. During this event we were asking for $7 Million
for research, data and surveillance for CHD's! We
hope that sending a message to our nation's
leadership will keep CHD's in the national spotlight.
Meeting with Senators and Representatives and
sharing our story was a meaningful experience
that hopefully had a lasting impact that will benefit
many families and patients. The future is looking
bright on both a local and national level and we are
thrilled to be a part of it!
Lisa Butler, Program Chair
- Page 9 -
July 3, 2014 Press Release
Mended Hearts Showcase Cardiac Education
at Annual Conference
DALLAS, TX — At the 62nd Annual Education and Training Conference, Gus Littlefield, President, recognized
Mended Hearts members, volunteers, and partners during the Annual Awards Banquet.
“We have so much to be proud of, as the largest and oldest cardiac peer-to-peer support organization in the United
States,” Littlefield told the audience at the annual event that brings together hundreds of members, cardiac and
pharmaceutical organizations and leaders in medical advances for cardiac disease and congenital heart defects to
recognize their contributions. “Those recognized today are crucial components of what our chapters, hospitals and
partner organizations contribute to help provide support to heart disease patients nationwide. We are proud to state
that we have nearly 4,000 trained accredited visitors who conduct nearly a quarter of a million visits to patients,
caregivers and families each year.”
Littlefield asked the audience to continue to focus on their strengths of providing personal interactions to help
support others, but also to extend themselves past their traditional model of support and begin to include more types
of heart disease patients. These may include:




Latino populations, where heart disease is responsible for nearly 30 percent of deaths,
African American men, who are 30 percent more likely to die of heart disease as compared to non-Hispanic
white men,
At-risk populations, such as diabetics, smokers, those who are obese and others with risk factors for heart
disease are important sub audiences, and
Encourage heart patients of all types to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, and continue for a lifetime for
optimal heart health benefits.
With volunteers at the core of the services Mended Hearts provides, Littlefield told the audience how he continues to
recall when he was first visited in the hospital. “That visit over 15 years ago made such a profound impact on me
that I continue to give back to others who are experiencing the impacts of heart disease on their health”.
The annual Education and Training Conference focuses on furthering education for its members to ensure increased
awareness of cardiac disease and congenital heart defects. The following award winners were announced:
Presidents Cup Winner: 1-39 members
Kentuckiana Chapter 11, Louisville, KY
Mary M. Amato Education Award
Cristy Davaloz, Bachelor’s in Kinesiology,
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Presidents Cup Winner: 40-99 members
Bluegrass Chapter 115, Lexington, KY
Newsletter, Monthly Award of Excellence
Alice Slucher, Editor of “The Pacer”
Lexington, KY, Chapter 115
Presidents Cup Winner: 100+ members
Cookeville Chapter 127, Cookeville, TN
Newsletter, Bi-Monthly Award of Excellence
Debbie Pollock, Editor of “The Mended Heartbeat”
The Woodlands, TX, Chapter 341
Hospital of the Year
Cookeville Hospital, Cookeville, TN
Mended Heart of the Year
Lynn Frierson, Johnson City, TN, Chapter 259
Internet Visitor of the Year
Rick Fisher, Newport News, VA, Chapter 119
Sydney & Helen Shuman Nurse Recognition
Susan Murphy, R.N., Mended Hearts of Gastonia,
NC, Chapter 379
Carol Loe, R.N., Plain O’ Heart Mended Hearts,
Plano, TX, Chapter 142
Newsletter, Quarterly Award of Excellence
Kristin Castiglione, Editor of “Heart Notes”
Dayton, OH, Chapter 61
Mended Little Hearts Group Excellence Award
Mended Little Hearts of Phoenix,
Phoenix, AZ
- Page 10 -
Regional Accredited Visitor Excellence Award
Rich and Joyce Marcy, Louisville, KY - Chapter #11
Lawrence Preske, Evansville, IN - Chapter #107
Robert Slucher, Lexington, KY - Chapter #115
Congratulations to all
of our National and
Regional Award
winners!
Regional Hospital of the Year Award
Community Heart and Vascular Hospital in Indianapolis, IN
Baptist Health in Lexington, KY
Regional Mended Heart of the Year Award
Amy Thomas, RN - Community Heart and Vascular Hospital
Regional Visiting Chair Excellence Award
Arthur T. Southwell, Evansville, IN - Chapter #107
Newsletter - Monthly Award of Excellence
Scott Eitman, Editor of “The Beat Goes On” from Cleveland, OH
Bonnie Weck, Editor of “Heart to Heart” from Louisville, KY
Newsletter - Bi-Monthly Award of Excellence
Louise Norris, Editor of “The Heartbeat” from Bellefontaine, OH
Newsletter - Quarterly Award of Excellence
Central Regional Awards!
Kristin Castiglione, Editor of “Heart Notes” from Dayton, OH
Newsletter - Quarterly Honorable Mention
Christine Morris, Editor of “Mending Hearts” from Columbus, OH
Rick & Joyce Marcy
(Chapter #11) Regional Accredited
Visitor Excellence
Award!
NATIONAL AWARD:
Chapter #11 - President’s Cup
Winner (1-39 Members)!
MLH of West Michigan Runner Up Award for
Group Excellence!
- Page 11 -
This article was presented by Jodi Lemacks at the opening dinner for the Mended
Little Hearts Leadership Training session in Indianapolis.
Why Mended
Little Hearts
Is Here
WE ARE HERE...CHD SUPPORT
We are here because after a diagnosis, in your darkest hours, when you
have pain in the pit of your stomach and you feel like your heart may break
open, there is immeasurable power in having someone take your hand,
either virtually or in person, and say, “Hey, you don’t have to walk this journey
alone. I will be right here by your side.” And for the first time since you heard
those horrible words about your beautiful child’s heart, you have a glimmer of
hope, and you think just maybe you can do this.
We are here because when you are sitting in the hospital day after day, hoping that
your child survives, and you get a care bag (or our new Bravery Bag) full of items that are
perfect for helping you through your hospital stay, you understand that others have walked
this path and care about you. You feel comforted, and again, you know you are not alone. You realize that
although we can’t give you what you really need, a healthy child without a heart defect, we can give you things
to make life just a little easier for you and your family.
We are here because once your child has gone through the initial surgery, heart procedure or hospital stay,
you get home and think, “Now what?” You feel scared and confused and have more questions than answers.
You wonder if you are doing anything right and if your child is going to be okay. What if you make a mistake?
You find that having someone, or even a whole group of people, who continue to support you, to answer
questions, to provide information and to connect you with the resources you need gives you confidence and
courage so you are better able to care for your child.
We are here because the answer, “Really, I didn’t know that,” to the question, “Did you know that congenital
heart defects are the most common birth defect in the U.S.” is simply unacceptable - especially when there is
still not a cure for congenital heart defects and our kids need one. We know that many of the answers we do
have for our kids - the surgeries and procedures - are temporary, and we live our lives hoping and praying
that the technology and/or treatment will come before our kids need them. We know the importance of raising
awareness in our communities and nationally. We advocated on issues that affect our kids. And we make a
difference - even if it is sometimes just one person at a time. Because we are here, you have confidence that
we will keep raising awareness until there is a cure.
We are here in honor and memory of all of the beautiful
children and adults who have lost their battle to congenital
heart disease. We work for better quality and new treatment
options to say, “This disease will not take any more of our
children! We have had enough!” We are game changers who
won’t stop until CHD is no more.”
Mostly though, we are here because helping others not only
helps them, but it helps us as well. When we are able to take
a painful experience and use what we learned to give back to
others, we heal. We show the world clearly that although our
child has congenital heart disease, it did not defeat us, and
it cannot define us. We are stronger than we knew, and our
service to others makes the world a better place.
Personally, I am very grateful Mended Little Hearts is here for
us when we need it. Thank you all for your time, dedication
and service. You all help to improve the lives of families
throughout the nation, and while you may not hear from the
families you serve often enough, know that what you do
makes a difference.
- Page 12 -
Is it safe for patients
with congenital heart
disease to exercise?
For most patients with congenital heart
disease, it’s not only safe but important to
stay physically active. Physical activity
helps improve heart health and reduces risk
for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity,
depression, cancer and heart disease.
Patients with congenital heart disease
should work closely with their providers to
create a physical activity program that is
safe for them.
By Pete Castiglione
Have you ever wondered how many calories you burned during an exercise or for the whole day? Well, I
often have, and I recently found a great way to see that information every day through an activity tracker.
These wonderful devices come in many shapes and sizes – wrist watch, wrist band, and clip-on. Some
devices also capture sleep patterns, heart rate, and skin temperature. There are many different makes and
models on the market and the number are growing exponentially with their popularity. We will look at five of
the most popular devices in the table below.
Each of the devices will track steps taken and use your height and weight to calculate calories burned using
their formula. Some track other exercise as well using sensors or manual input of activity, level of effort and
duration of that effort. Sleep is tracked by movement during evening hours. By adding the food that is
consumed, the tracker applications can reflect calories consumed vs those burned. Some trackers have a
display screen and others just indicator lights. A couple have a vibration alarm to wake you or let you know
that you have been inactive too long. The way that the data is shown varies drastically based on the device
and software. All of the activity trackers will feed the raw data from the tracker to a smart phone, and/or
computer where it is reflected in reports and tables. This synchronization is done automatically or at your
prompt depending on the activity tracker. At this time, Fitbit has the best dashboard screen to display your
results on your computer screen. But all of them display adequate results to track your improvement.
Many people that use the activity trackers regularly to track their activities find that they continue to strive to
improve to reach their goals resulting in a healthier life style. No one activity tracker is best for everyone.
Each person needs to look at what is available and match them to their personal activities and needs.
Fitbit One
Fitbit Flex
Jawbone Up 24
Nike Fuelband SE
Garmin Vivofit
Retail Price
$99.99
$99.95
$149.99
$99.95
$129.99
Type
Wrist Band
Clip-on
Wrist Band
Wrist Band
Wrist Band
Compatibility
Windows, Mac,
Android, iOS
Windows, Mac,
Android, iOS
Android, iOS
Windows, Mac,
Android, iOS
Windows, Mac,
Android, iOS
Battery Life
5-7 Days
7-10 Days
5-7 Days
5-7 Days
Watch Battery –
over 1 year
Sleep Monitor
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Heart Monitor
No
No
No
No
Heart Rate
Monitor
Compatible
Data on tracker
Indicator LED
Screen
Indicator LED
Screen
Screen
- Page 13 -
Central Region RD and ARDs
RD:
ARDS:
Jana Stewart - Chapter #107
(812) 963-6019
[email protected]
Bruce Norris - Chapter #69
(937) 919-7213
[email protected]
Chapter Assignments: #51, #61, #69, #109,
#111, #230, #291, #342, #371
Jo Ann Kats - Chapter #11
(502) 245-7785
[email protected]
Chapter Assignments: #11, #219, #366
Becky Witt - Chapter #115
(859)-272-8213
[email protected]
Chapter Assignments: #35, #59, #87, #115,
#138, #170
Jana Stewart - Chapter #107
(812) 963-6019
[email protected]
Chapter Assignments: #107, #280
The Central Region consists of
five+ states: Indiana, Kentucky,
Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia
and the western half of
Pennsylvania. There are
currently 25 chapters and 3
Satellite chapters in the Mended
Hearts Central Region as well as
9 Mended Little Hearts groups.
Linda Mason - Chapter #350
(317) 407-8300
[email protected]
Chapter Assignments: #78, #236, #268,
#350, #383
Mended Hearts Central Region Chapter Presidents
Louisville, KY - Chapter #11
President, Sandy Larimore
(502) 428-6621
[email protected]
Mansfield, OH - Chapter #109
President, Gabe DeSantis
(419) 884-1696
[email protected]
Cincinnati, OH - Chapter #35
President, Frank Iden
(513) 793-2930
[email protected]
Lima, OH - Chapter #111
President, Larry Hicks
(419) 999-5414
[email protected]
Zanesville, OH - Chapter #51
President, Tony Maniaci
(740) 454-8001
[email protected]
Lexington, KY - Chapter #115
President, Francis Carpenter
(859) 873-8796
[email protected]
Akron, OH - Chapter #59
President, James Patterson
(330) 334-1236
[email protected]
Cleveland, OH - Chapter #138
President, Scott Eitman
(216) 372-1116
[email protected]
Dayton, OH - Chapter #61
President, Kelvin Fudge
(937) 790-0671
[email protected]
Sistersville, WV - Chapter #170
Bellefontaine, OH - Chapter #69
President, James Wilgus
(937) 599-6545
[email protected]
Bowling Green, KY - Chapter #219
President, Dr. Alton Little
(270) 842-2338
[email protected]
Indianapolis, IN - Chapter #78
President, Pamela Hudson
(317) 442-7393
[email protected]
Pontiac, MI - Chapter #230
President, Shirley Kell
(248) 623-1168
[email protected]
Steubenville, OH - Chapter #87
President, James Thompson
(740) 535-1914
[email protected]
Terre Haute, IN - Chapter #236
President (Acting), Venita Gastineau
(812) 235-7586
Evansville, IN - Chapter #107
President, Jana Stewart
(812) 963-6019
[email protected]
Munster, IN - Chapter #268
President, Nancy Govert
(219) 374-2367
[email protected]
- Page 14 -
Wheeling WV - Chapter #280
President, Mary Maguire
(304) 280-5221
[email protected]
Farmington Hills, MI - Chapter #291
President, Lynn Sacket-Hodge
(248) 471-8740
[email protected]
Springfield, OH - Chapter #342
President, Carol Haytas
(937) 325-3198
[email protected] *
Noblesville, IN - Chapter #350
President, Stan Gurka
(317) 877-3030
[email protected]
New Albany, IN - Chapter #366
President, Carl Sinkhorn
(812) 243-4718
[email protected]
Columbus, OH - Chapter #371
President, Jeff Davidson
(614) 580-1561
[email protected]
Indianapolis, IN - Chapter #383
President, Bennie Stepp
(317) 621-8631
[email protected]
Mended Hearts Central Region Satellites
Cleveland, OH - Chapter #138
Elyria Memorial Hospital
Contact: Bill Crowell
206 Harvard Ave.
Elyria, OH 44035
440-323-7770
Munster, IN - Chapter #268
Saint Mary Medical Center
Contact: Cathy Cofer-Hines
1500 S. Lake Park Ave.
Hobart, IN 46342
219-947-6086
[email protected]
Lake West Hospital
Contact: Katherine Fagan
9571 Tipperary Lane
Mentor, OH 44060
440-639-9418
Mended Little Hearts Central Region Groups
INDIANA
PENNSYLVANIA
Evansville, IN
Mended Little Hearts of Evansville
[email protected]
www.mendedlittleheartsevv.org
Contact: Julie Stucki
812-499-4010
Youngwood, PA
Mended Little Hearts of Southwestern, PA
[email protected] *
www.swpa.mendedlittlehearts.net *
Contact: Beth McElhaney *
724-858-6314 *
Indianapolis, IN
Mended Little Hearts of Indianapolis
[email protected] *
Contact: Dana White
317-445-2575
MICHIGAN
KENTUCKY
Bowling Green, KY
Mended Little Hearts of Bowling Green
[email protected]
Contact: Lara Barnhouse
270-392-4839
Grand Rapids, MI
Mended Little Hearts of West Michigan
[email protected]
www.mlhmi.org *
Contact: Jenna Wood
616-232-2008
Contact: Jennifer Dougherty
616-644-6529
Cleveland, OH
Mended Little Hearts of Cleveland
[email protected]
Contact: Margaret Andorf
440-725-9222
Columbus, OH
Mended Little Hearts of Columbus
[email protected]
www.mlhcolumbus.blogspot.com
Contact: Riann Taylor
614-565-4689
Dayton, OH
Mended Little Hearts of Dayton
[email protected]
Contact: Galen Gingerich
937-698-7575
OHIO
Cincinnati, OH
Mended Little Hearts of Cincinnati
[email protected] *
Contact: Lisa Butler
513-518-3621
Contact: Leslie Sams *
859-559-5580 *
Please look at your contact information and let Jana
Stewart and the Newsletter Editor know if there are any
changes that need to be made.
There have been a few changes made since Jana
published the latest version of the 2014 Convention
Booklet on 7/23/14.
These changes are identified with an * by the line change.
- Page 15 -
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Mended Hearts - Central Region
RD: Jana Stewart
8040 Big Cynthiana Road
Evansville, IN 47720
Evansville, IN 47708
Permit No. 2095
IMPORTANT: DATED MATERIAL
Sleep and Cardiovascular Disease
Inadequate sleep is not just an annoying fact of life. Studies have shown it may raise your risk of
cardiovascular disease. In fact, the effect of poor sleep on cardiovascular disease is a two-way street.
Inadequate sleep appears to contribute to cardiovascular disease. And cardiovascular disease may
disturb your sleep. This could become an exhausting, vicious cycle if you ignore your sleep problems.
Poor sleep has been linked to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (clogging or hardening of the
arteries), heart failure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Poor sleep appears to increase
substances in your body, such as c-reactive protein, that indicate inflammation is a problem. So,
inflammation, which is how the body responds to injury, infection or disease, may be part of the reason poor
sleep affects your cardiovascular system. Poor sleep also causes the body to produce more stress
hormones, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, sometimes symptoms related to cardiovascular disease can be a cause of poor
sleep. Angina (chest pain), arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), sleep apnea (a series of breathing
pauses during sleep that stress your cardiovascular system), and fluid build-up in the lungs due to heart
failure may all disrupt sleep.
The good news is there are steps you can take to
improve your sleep. Always talk to your doctor about
your sleep problems, however minor you think they
might be. There may be lifestyle changes or treatments
that can help you sleep better.
- Page 16 -