lifestyle among them.

Contrary to the days when cardiac patients were treated like invalids, today's recovering patients are encouraged, with professional guidance, to lead as full lives as possible.

One of the key elements of recovery is exercise -- a need recognised by cardiac rehabilitation exercise specialists Mrs. Anne Mello and Miss Toula Syrios.

The two women are presently conducting bi-weekly rehabilitative exercise programmes for cardiac patients, using the King Edward Hospital Extended Care Unit's activities room.

"The term `cardiac' includes people who have had a heart attack, valve replacement, bypass surgery, pacemaker, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), arterio sclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and angina,'' Mrs. Mello explained.

Each one-hour lesson in the ten-week programme includes group warm-up and cool-down exercises, as well as gentle callisthenics, stretching and aerobic exercises designed to strengthen the heart.

"The goal of our programme is to return people to near-normal functioning, doing the things they need and want to do,'' Mrs. Mello explained. "It is a structured, supervised, well-designed programme which provides the special guidelines that the participants need.'' Indeed, once the initial problem has been medically treated, patients often feel lost and "different'' as they face the future -- which is why the structured group exercise programme is proving such a success.

"So many people ask us `What kind of exercise? How much? How hard? How often?''' Miss Syrios explained. "Our classes provide them with support, encouragement, motivation, answers to their questions on exercise and information.'' These aspects apart, Mrs. Mello said that regular exercise following any "cardiac episode'' reduced the risk of experiencing further episodes, and certainly the fatality of such episodes.

"Everybody needs exercise,'' she said. "It should be part of all our lives.'' "The long-term benefits of exercise modify the risk factors of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as reducing stress, assisting with weight control and weight management. Exercise also makes you feel good.'' Miss Syrios added.

And that is something recovering cardiac patient Mrs. Jackie Morris agrees with wholeheartedly. A participant in Mrs. Mello and Miss Syrios' pilot programme, she says: "How lucky it was for me that this programme came along when it did. If I'd continued to act on some of the fallacies I'd come to believe I might not be here to tell the tale!'' Mrs. Morris had high praise for all elements of her learning experience. "The education is great, the professionalism is awesome, and the caring is wonderful,'' she said.

She particularly liked the way instructors Mrs. Mello and Miss Syrios conducted the classes, and also the feeling that she was not alone.

"It's all so upbeat, it enables me to feel good. I sure wish it was going on and on and on!'' she enthused.

The class was born out of an awareness by Mrs. Mello that post-cardiac event patients were in need of rehabilitative exercise programmes, but none were available. Exploratory talks with Bermudian cardiologist Dr. Shane Marshall met with an enthusiastic response, and ultimately led to formation of the class.