Surviving a Heart Attack with Luck and Exercise
On the day Robert Riding had a heart attack in 2021, luck was with him. “I usually worked home alone, but that day I just happened to be meeting a realtor at a house we were selling that my two sons lived in,” he says. “I got there and told my oldest son, Spencer, that I felt dizzy. A few minutes later, I collapsed.”
Fortunately, both of Robert’s sons had learned CPR in high school, and they took turns performing CPR while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Robert was rushed to Boston Medical Center – South, where cardiologist Dr. Joshua Arkin stabilized him and placed a balloon stent to reopen his blocked artery. Then he was sent to Boston Medical Center – Brighton, where he had bypass surgery with Dr. Stanley Tam, Chief of Cardiac Surgery.
Robert now knows that he missed several warning signs of heart trouble. “I never had any chest pain, but I felt very winded doing things like yard work or rushing through the airport,” he says. “I also had really bad indigestion after having certain foods or eating later in the evening. I thought it was just because I was getting older — now I know better.”
Since then, Robert has been followed by Dr. Arkin. “The first time I saw Dr. Arkin after my heart attack, I almost started crying. I knew I was so lucky to have survived thanks to my sons, the EMTs, Dr. Arkin, and Dr Tam. If everything and everyone had not lined up so perfectly that day, I might not be here.”
After his heart attack, Robert was nervous about exercising for fear of overextending his heart. Dr. Arkin suggested he enroll in a cardio rehabilitation program, which he did for 12 weeks. “They monitor your heart while you exercise, just to make sure that you're not overdoing it. For me, that was huge, because it gave me the confidence I needed to go back to exercising without worrying about my heart.”
“The first time I saw Dr. Arkin after my heart attack, I almost started crying. I knew I was so lucky to have survived thanks to my sons, the EMTs, Dr. Arkin, and Dr. Tam.”
These days, Robert goes to the gym every morning before work. “I do the treadmill for 30 minutes at a good clip and then I jump on the bike for another 30 minutes. And then any hiking or bicycling I can do on the weekends is a bonus. I’m 62 now, and I’m at the same weight I was at 32. I’m in much better shape than I was before the heart attack, and I feel great.”
Take Care of Your Heart with Boston Medical Center – South Cardiology
At Boston Medical Center – South’s Cardiology Department, our skilled cardiology experts deliver compassionate care for all conditions, from the most common to the most complex. We have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for our high-performing heart attack care.
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