I completed the rehabilitation programme after my heart attack

Dear Delyara, My heart attack happened at fifty-two, halfway through carrying groceries upstairs. Afterward, I became afraid of effort itself. Every increased heartbeat felt like another attack beginning. Cardiac rehabilitation started with five minutes of walking while a nurse monitored me. I asked for my pulse constantly. Slowly, we increased distance, learned the difference between safe exertion and warning symptoms, changed medication, improved my diet, and worked on the fear as seriously as the heart. Today, I completed the twelve-week programme. For the final session, we walked outside instead of on treadmills. I climbed a hill without stopping. At the top, my heart was beating hard. I put one hand against my chest and, for the first time since the attack, did not interpret the rhythm as betrayal. My heart was working. That distinction felt enormous.