| Your Health Matters | fall 2003 |
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Father and Son Benefit from Cardiac Services
While Robert LeComte Jr. followed in his father’s steps as the second-generation owner of Riverside Art in Somerset, the elder LeComte is emulating his son when it comes to wellness. At age 44, the younger LeComte had a heart attack. Doctors scheduled a cardiac catheterizatin but delayed it because LeComte was running a low fever. “They let me go home on Thanksgiving,” LeComte Jr. said. “And I never went back. I was in a deep state of denial. I decided to just take my medication and go to cardiac rehabilitation.” The approach worked for a while. LeComte Jr. gained strength by attending cardiac rehabilitation, first at Mitchell Therapies Center at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, then at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center in Somerset, but felt himself losing ground by mid 1998. “I could feel myself tiring easily while mowing the lawn and exercising,” he said. In October 1998, the younger LeComte went into cardiac arrest while exercising at Somerset Rehab. “When Phase III moved to Somerset, people I knew at Mitchell joined an exercise club,” LeComte Jr. said. “I felt that if anything happened to me, it would be while I was exercising, and I wanted to be around people who knew what they were doing.” The decision probably saved his life. After a cardiac catheterization at Charlton, LeComte Jr. was transferred to a Boston hospital for heart surgery. After recovering, LeComte Jr. returned to rehabilitation at Somerset. His father was stricken with what was later labeled cold-induced angina while on his way to teach a boating safety course. In 2003, with cardiac surgery available at Charlton, the elder LeComte was able to have a quadruple bypass close to home. Like his son, LeComte Sr. completed Phase I and Phase II of cardiac rehabilitation, but his plans to begin Phase III at Somerset were delayed when his wife took sick. “I’m needed at home right now,” LeComte Sr. said. “But I hope to start rehab soon. I really miss it.” “I know how difficult it is to start and maintain an exercise program,” his son said. “But it’s important. Despite my problems, I’m healthier than your average 51-year-old.” LeComte Sr. wants to follow in his son’s footsteps by beginning Phase III cardiac rehab as soon as possible. “It’s a good habit,” he said. |
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