“Above and beyond.” That phrase came to Mike Brzegowy a few times as he explained why he gave a gift to the Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab Fund in honor of his care team.

The nurses and clinicians who cared for him after his October heart surgery more than exceeded what he expected.

“I’ve never had a better experience,” said Brzegowy, an operations research analyst who resides in Bloomington. “And for that reason, I had to give back. It is my way of saying thanks.”

For Brzegowy, this story starts in a common way: a persistent case of heartburn and fatigue turned out to be a heart problem. An EKG and stress test indicated a blockage. He scheduled a heart catheterization a few weeks out, but soon discovered things were more urgent. “They called the next day and said, ‘Get in here,’” Brzegowy said.

After a catheterization and stent implantation at IU Health Bloomington, Brzegowy’s worries were eased by IU Health Nurse Kylee Frye, whom he said had a knack for explaining things patiently, thoroughly and in layman’s terms. The time Frye spent with him and his wife, Laura, made Brzegowy feel the nurse truly cared about his health and his wife’s concern, too.

“It was sincere,” he said. “Her personality was a 10, treatment care was a 10, responsiveness was a 10, and her interaction with family was like an 11 or 12.”

Of course, Brzegowy’s surgery was completed in the context of high COVID-19 patient loads and a statewide nursing shortage—a recent study by EMSI/Burning Glass said there are some 4,000 open nursing positions across Indiana—but he said that didn’t seem to affect his care. “All of the nurses were caring, attentive and upbeat,” he said.

Brzegowy also has special praise for physician assistant Julianne Frey, who not only provided excellent care after his surgery, but really came through the next day, when he showed up in the emergency room with chest pain. Frey recognized Brzegowy’s name on an admissions list, hurried to the ER and, with knowledge of his condition, was able to come alongside the care team and help them diagnose the problem and address it quickly.

And that, he felt, added to an experience that was, simply, above and beyond. “I’ll never be able to say thank you enough…but by giving to the Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation Fund, I hope that others in a similar situation will have the same, outstanding level of care I received,” he said.

Gifts like the one Brzegowy made to the Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab Fund make all the difference for patients recovering from a cardiac event. “These contributions support equipment and programming that empower our clinicians to deliver excellent heart care,” says Diane Buzzell, IU Health Foundation philanthropy director.

If you’d like to help cardiovascular patients like Brzegowy, contact IU Health Foundation Development Officer Emily Trinkle at 812.345.5625.

Cardiac patients who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program have a higher quality of life and reduced mortality rate. Nonetheless, only about 30% of cardiac patients typically engage in rehab. Why this low rate of participation? Barriers.

Some folks lack transportation. Others can’t coordinate rehab with their job or childcare schedules. Still others might live too far from the hospital for three-times-a-week rehab sessions. Even patients willing to participate might hit a barrier: a three-to-four-week delay before space is available in the program.

Working to remove such barriers is Katrina Riggin, MS, manager of Cardiac Ancillary Services in the East Central Region (ECR).

Her cardiopulmonary rehab team has found the solution to these challenges in the new At-Home Hybrid Cardiopulmonary Rehab Service—a program that leverages technology to connect with patients remotely, monitoring progress, sharing information, coaching them through physical rehab and more. The philanthropy-funded program helps patients work past barriers that keep them from returning to the hospital for on-site rehabilitation.

“We are helping more patients than ever before,” said Riggin.

The program utilizes a software platform that connects the care team with patients in their homes. With a dashboard that monitors key indicators in real-time, the digital tool allows the care team to interact with patients during their home exercise sessions.

If the patients have internet connections, they can connect their smart phone, tablet or computer to the system, as well as tools for monitoring blood pressure, heart rate and other indicators.

If patients don’t have access to the internet, they can record information manually, and a community paramedic will visit once a week to gather data and check on the patient. This is especially helpful, Riggin said, in rural areas where internet connectivity is sparse.

Created as an ECR pilot that could be spread to all IU Health facilities, the home-based hybrid cardiopulmonary rehab program is also being implemented in our South Central Region, which means it soon will be removing barriers to care all over the state—ensuring that more and more Hoosiers can have successful longer-term positive health outcomes.

Give now to support programs at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital to help fund programs that are most in need.

Have you ever heard the phrase “laughter is the best medicine?” Well, it turns out that it does have real benefits for your health. Researchers don’t fully understand why it impacts wellbeing the way it does, but they do know laughing does have a positive impact. Laughter can help your short-term physical condition by reducing stress and help your long-term health- helping you live to an older age. Here are the health benefits of a good laugh.

• Reduces stress. Stress has many harmful effects on the body, including increasing your risk of heart disease. Laughter can reduce stress, and reduce the negative effects of stress.
• Improve memory. In studies of older adults, laughter has been shown to improve cognitive function and memory in particular.
• Burns calories. While it might not be the same as a rigorous workout, a good laugh does burn calories. If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, frequent laughter may help you- though of course diet and exercise should be the key components of your lifestyle.
• Improve mental health. This may be the most obvious benefit laughter, but laughing makes you feel better about yourself. For people who suffer from mental illness like depression, laughter can help alleviate the negative effects of their disease.
• Improve pain tolerance. Finally, laughter has been shown to improve an individual’s ability to tolerate pain. For people suffering from pain- whether from an injury or even chronic illness, laughter can help diminish pain.

So if you’re looking to improve your overall quality of life, watch a standup, put on a funny movie, or tell a joke. Laughing can truly make your life better.

She felt helpless as she watched friends and family members struggle with terminal illness. Lindsey Jarrett decided then that if she could, she would help someone in need so she donated a kidney. This is the story of the life of a giver.

By IU Health Senior Journalist, T.J. Banes, tfender1@iuhealth.org

She refers to her decision as “walking a winding road.” Three years ago, Lindsey Jarrett’s middle school teacher was battling cancer. Over the years, the teacher had become a close friend. As the cancer spread throughout her friend’s body Jarrett stood by helplessly knowing there was nothing she could do. Her friend needed a transplant but was rejected due to the invasive cancer.

“When she passed, I told myself ‘if the opportunity ever presents itself, no matter what, I will donate for the sake of saving someone’s life,’” said Jarrett. She made good on that promise when she learned on social media that the father of a friend of a friend needed a kidney transplant.

That “father of a friend of a friend” was Poopalasingham “Pete” Poovendran. He was also a husband, to Rekha, who immigrated to the United States from Sri Lanka more than 40 years ago. He spent most of his life working as an anesthesiologist. At the age of 73, he was settled in Mishawaka, Ind. where he enjoys gardening, golfing, reading, and flying his Piper Archer around the country.

In 1991, Poovendran was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, also known as Berger’s disease. Overtime, his kidneys began to shut down. He needed a transplant.

Poovendran’s, daughter, Dilkushi Poovendran, 36, and a son, Gayan Poovendran, 39, posted on Facebook their father’s need for a new kidney. A mutual friend shared the post with Jarrett, 39.

A resident of Kansas City, Mo. Jarrett and Poovendran were separated by nearly 600 miles but in time they would be joined by a single kidney.

Poovendran was in the care of IU Health nephrologist Dr. Bruce A. Molitoris. Jarrett had never been to IU Health until late 2020 when she made her decision to begin testing as a donor.

Married to her husband, Nick, since 2013, Jarrett is the mother to a 7-year-old daughter. She is also an altruistic giver.

“I spent a lot of time talking about it with my husband and parents, but it just felt right,” said Jarrett. As she talks about her decision, she modestly reveals something about that walk along the “winding road” that started in her childhood.

“I was raised with a philanthropic altruistic philosophy – the spirit of giving is in lots of aspects of my life,” said Jarrett. She was reluctant to give specifics, maintaining humility, but with urging, she described her personal and professional journey. In 2013 she and her husband, a professional musician, traveled to Uganda and founded “Music Across Borders.” The non-profit charity’s mission is providing sustainable music education to people around the world. One of their first projects was “Strings for Uganda” providing music education to children living in an orphanage in Kajjansi, Uganda.

In her youth, Jarrett volunteered at Kansas City-based “Operation Breakthrough.” The program provides a safe educational environment for children in need. The program provides weekday care for 700 children – ages 6 to 14. More than 80 percent of those children are from families living below federal poverty guidelines.

Later in life, after obtaining her master’s degree, Jarrett returned as a staff member of “Operation Breakthrough.”

“It’s important for me to be in the community doing work. I’m a boots-on-the-ground person,” said Jarrett, who has professional training working in the disability community. She went on to receive her doctorate in therapeutic science. She now works as a principal investigator, a social scientist dedicated to clinical research, for the Center for Practical Bioethics. The non-profit is dedicated to raising and responding to ethical questions in healthcare.

From a young age, Jarrett said her heart has been pulled toward helping others.

“My parents raised us in church environment and around volunteer work. My mom was part of a volunteer organization and when I was a kid I remember her dragging me to these things. It really opened my eyes to people living outside my bubble. Growing up in a very giving family made me who I am today,” said Jarrett.

And on Nov. 19, 2021 that “giving heart” was extended to a stranger. Jarrett became an altruistic kidney donor. In the care of Dr. William Goggins, that man who was a stranger received Jarrett’s kidney – the gift of life.

Typically, donors and recipients do not meet immediately after transplant. But Jarrett’s parents were with her in the hospital and fate played out. Jarrett’s mom and dad shared a waiting room with Poovendran’s wife and daughter. Through contact with Poovendran’s son, they learned the donor and recipient were just doors away from each other on the same floor at IU Health University Hospital’s transplant unit.

“They asked if I could come to his room and we just went with it,” said Jarrett. When his eyes met his donor, Poovendran began to cry as he thanked her.

“I said ‘I’m really happy I could give this to you and you could have more time with people you love,’” said Jarrett. “I just wanted to make someone’s life better.”