When St. Clare’s Cardiac Rehab employees say their patients have hearts of gold, well, it’s true both literally and figuratively.  The St. Clare team of 27 Cardiac Rehab patients brought home the gold as Overall Top Team for the second year in a row at the Wisconsin Society for Cardiovascular Pulmonary Health Rehabilitation (WISCHPHER) Hearts of Gold Games. 

Held at Ho-Chunk Wellness Center on April 26, this is the 8^th year that WISCPHR has promoted the games.

“Last year St. Clare had six participants,” said Nicole Romero, St. Clare Cardiac Rehab Technician. “This year there were 27 — more than any other program.”

Ten different cardiac rehab programs participated in the event: Baraboo, Dodgeville, Columbus, La Crosse Gunderson Lutheran, Prairie du Chien, Fort Atkinson, Reedsburg, Sauk Prairie, Stoughton and Portage.

Cardiac rehab patients participated in activities such as badminton, basketball free throw, game of knowledge, prediction walk/treadmill/bike/swim, and golf putting. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top three males and females in each event.

This was the second year that St. Clare Cardiac Rehab Coordinator Thorne Wittstruck managed the regional event. “The best part was seeing people participate who really didn’t think they could be competitive again,” said Wittstruck. “And all of the participants, from all of the different locations, got along so well. You could feel their special bond.”

“We’re lucky to have the support of the Ho-Chunk Wellness Center for this event,” said Wittstruck. “We’ve added programs each year; hopefully, the event will just continue to grow.”