09/12/2025
Sheron Lee insisted she couldn't fit in any sort of exercise. She had a demanding job and a long commute. On the weekends, she cared for her ailing mother. She knew this wasn't healthy, and she knew she had a family history of heart disease. Still, she told herself, “Nothing's going to happen to me."
And then it did. During her yearly physical, Sheron was sent straight to the hospital where doctors found two major blockages in her arteries. While waiting for stents to open those blockages, Sheron, at 50, had a heart attack.
After a stent and balloon angioplasty, Sheron went back to work as soon as possible and grudgingly followed her doctor's advice to try cardiac rehabilitation. At her first visit, her heart rate spiked after just 8 minutes. "Stop!" the tech said. "You need to lie down." Sheron cried all the way home.
After two weeks of going to cardiac rehab twice a week, Sheron's heart became stronger. She started to enjoy exercising. After cardiac rehab ended, she paid for a gym membership.
Sheron, who is now 67 and retired, has walked numerous half-marathons and teaches Zumba. She and her husband, Freddy, a disabled veteran who also has heart disease, have improved their diets and lost weight.
She credits cardiac rehab with saving her life. “They teach you how to be confident and how to not be scared for the rest of your life.”
She'll never forget the eight minutes that propelled her forward 17 years ago.
"I'll do a Zumba event for three hours, and on the way home, I'll think about how I couldn't get past eight minutes," Sheron said. "It's hard to believe."
