From heart attack patient to marathon runner

Not everyone calls their doctor “coach”.

That’s exactly what happened to Herman Robers after having a heart attack at 29 years old. Following six weeks in hospital, he met Dr. Terrence Kavanagh at Sunnybrook’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, who embraced an approach of progressively increasing levels of physical activity for patients who had a heart attack, rather than the accepted practice of resting in bed for several weeks.

“I walked five times a week, keeping a close eye on my heart rate. Then Dr. Kavanagh recruited me to join a group of distance runners. It was great fun – we ran one weeknight, then had a healthy dinner and also ran on Sunday mornings followed by a hearty breakfast,” recalls Herman, who is now 84 years old.

No one was more surprised than Herman, a former smoker who admits he didn’t eat healthily, at what was to come. Together with five other heart rehab patients, he ran the Boston Marathon just three years after his heart attack.

“That was just the start. I’ve run marathons across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as several half-marathons,” says Herman, who walks every day.

His wife Annette says the impact of the running program was dramatic, and encourages heart patients of all ages to take part in a supervised exercise program.

“I saw Herman change from someone who viewed himself as almost disabled, who was afraid of a repeat heart attack, to a confident, health-conscious man,” says Annette, who explains that the heart attack initially impacted their plans to start a family. “Herman’s whole approach on nutrition and fitness changed. And with those shifts, his entire life changed.”

The couple, buoyed by Herman’s improved health after beginning running, went on to have two daughters. Family vacations often revolved around marathon locations, with Annette and their two daughters cheering on Herman. Herman and Annette are now proud grandparents to three teenagers.

Dr. Kavanagh died in 2018, but his legacy lives on in the area of heart function and exercise.

“I’m forever grateful to Dr. Kavanagh for his guidance and encouragement,” says Herman. “I still miss my coach.”