EDGEWOOD, Ky. — For many heart patients and their families, recovery can be a difficult journey. At St. Elizabeth Healthcare in northern Kentucky, patients, doctors and nurses celebrate patients and their recovery efforts with a mini heart marathon.

At St. Elizabeth Healthcare, staff lined the halls cheering patients on, who took symbolic laps around the hospital ward, celebrating their progress post heart surgery. For patients like John Harmeling Jr., each step was a milestone showing just how far he’s come.

“I feel 100% different today,” said Harmeling.

Harmeling, who had a long history of neuropathy, which is nerve damage, and diabetes that led him to receive care at St. Elizabeth in Edgewood. He’s been hospitalized since January.

“You have to be monitored….24 hours a day. So, it’s been a journey to sit here and, you know, try to push through. But…when you know, you’re going to have a better quality of life and just it make it so much easier,” he said.

Dr. Mario Castillo-Sang, a lead cardiac surgeon at the hospital, emphasized how walking can provide a new form of healing to patients. 

“There’s something good and beneficial to them after open heart surgery. That’s the first one. But the second one is the prevention aspect of it. It’s creating awareness that the number one killer of Americans and people in the Western Hemisphere is heart disease,” he explained.

According to the Centers for Diease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. According to Cedars Sinai, over 300,000 people in the United States have successful heart by-pass surgeries every year.

For Harmeling, he’s glad to be a part of the success and re-start his life.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to my life. I used to live,” he said.

On Sunday, March 16, the American Heart Association Heart Mini-Marathon and Walk will take place in Cincinnati.