Bethesda resident Karin Bertozzi isn’t a typical cardiac patient. Four years ago, the mother of three children and yoga instructor was in her local grocery store when she fainted. The next thing she knew, she woke up four days later in the intensive care unit at Suburban Hospital, where she would spend 18 days after a 12-hour open-heart surgery procedure to correct an aortic aneurysm and dissection.

During those weeks, some of her favorite visits were from John, a man she had never met before. “He had been a heart patient years ago, and he selflessly shared his heart story and recovery with me,” Bertozzi says.  

“He came by every day and said, ‘You can do this.’” Bertozzi learned that John was a volunteer with Mended Hearts, the world’s largest cardiovascular peer-to-peer support network. The U.S.-based nonprofit and its pediatric arm, Little Mended Hearts, have 20,000 members at 450 hospitals and clinics, including Suburban. Six months after her surgery, Bertozzi joined Mended Hearts and is now the leader of the group at Suburban.

She and two other Mended Hearts volunteers at the hospital interact with an average of 200 heart patients and their families each month, either through patient visits, phone and internet consultation, and even house calls. Mended Hearts also holds local, monthly cardiac support meetings for heart patients and caregivers.

“It’s really important to give hope,” Bertozzi says. “When a patient first comes out of heart surgery, they are sedated and often intubated. They can’t communicate with their loved ones. The family members are often terrified. I can say, ‘That was me.’ It’s a really unique opportunity during this fragile time to offer encouragement to patients and their families.”

In addition to her involvement with Mended Hearts, another way Bertozzi gives back is by teaching Yoga From the Heart at Suburban (pictured above). This class is a great compliment to traditional cardiac rehab. “In the class, we learn basic yoga postures—many seated—and basic yoga philosophies to help with stress management. Physician’s restrictions are taken into consideration and poses are modified to include all patients, regardless of where they are in recovery.”

Learn more about Mended Hearts at mendedhearts.org. Register for a Yoga From the Heart class at events.suburbanhospital.org or call 301-896-3939.