Five honored at annual ‘Kings and Queens of Hearts’ event
Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center honored Rudy Donofrio with the “Junior King” award at the 21st annual King and Queen of Hearts event at the Glendale hospital on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. Every year two kings and two queens along with a Young at Heart person are honored.
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Five people who bounced back from heart maladies and served as an example for others during their recoveries were honored at Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital on Thursday.
Now in its 21st year, the annual “Kings and Queens of Hearts” event once again recognized patients who not only got healthy again, but stayed in good condition with the help of the hospital’s cardiac fitness center.
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About three to five times a week patients who recovered from a heart attack or major heart surgery showed up at the facility to exercise.
But as Hospital President Jack Ivie pointed out, the fitness center is about more than just getting on a treadmill.
“Part of the healing process is not just getting to exercise, it’s meeting other people in the program, other people who are further along than you in the healing process,” he said. “It’s that networking and connecting in this program, that’s where the acceptance begins.”
That acceptance is understanding that there’s no cure for a major coronary event; instead, one has to modify their life to be more healthy.
Ivie spoke at the fitness center before a crowd of a few dozen people, including this year’s king and queen honorees.
Ricardina Astoquilla was named junior queen, while Rudy Donofrio was crowned junior king.
The titles of senior king and queen went to John Houy and Rose Marie Steel, respectively.
Steel had an angioplasty last year and said she was not a fan of exercise.
Michelle Galanti, manager of the fitness center, said Steel was stubborn in the beginning, but she quickly became committed to staying well.
“Coming in three times a week, it was like a job,” Steel said. “I would get on the treadmill and I thought, the faster I walk, the quicker the 15 minutes would be over. My family and friends made me change my mind that I have to live healthier and I want to be here for my family.”
Houy said he’s been exercising his entire life. In fact, he was a professional ballet dancer, so he was shocked when he first ended up in the hospital almost two years ago.
“I exercised every day of my life. I had no idea I was going to have a heart attack,” he said. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to exercise again, but [the fitness center staff] really nursed me back to health.”
The last person to be recognized for the day was Bill Van Rooy, who was the annual “Young at Heart” honoree. He had an angioplasty in 1980 and other cardiovascular procedures over the years, sticking with Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital, and he stills stops by to work out.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
