Cardiac Rehab team helps Richmond heat patient rediscover his strength
When Tim Miller walks into Cardiac Rehab at Baptist Health Richmond, the mood shifts.
He cracks a joke before he’s even fully through the door. He playfully ribs the staff while catching up on the latest updates. Team members pop out of offices to say hello. Someone teases him about graduating months ago but still finding reasons to stop by.
The energy feels less clinical and more like a reunion.
This is the Tim they know now, but it wasn’t always this way.
“During his first few visits, he wasn’t as jovial,” said Jennifer Pruitt, RN, who worked closely with Tim in Cardiac Rehab. “He was in pretty bad shape health-wise after bypass surgery. But as time went on, he got used to us, and the real Tim started coming out. Everybody loved being around him.”
For most of his life, Tim’s truest self showed up in his work.
“I ran wide open for 41 years every day in automotive repair,” he said.
He built and operated his own business, where the pace was constant and slowing down wasn’t part of the plan. Though when he retired and stepped away, life shifted abruptly.
“I think honestly, if I’d have kept working, I don’t believe I’d have ever come to the hospital,” Tim admitted. “You’re so busy with your normal lifestyle. Out of ignorance, you just overlook things.”
One of those things was chest pain, which he began to notice around six months before deciding it was time to see a doctor.
“The pain was getting worse that day, and it was going around to my back,” Tim said. “I had five blockages and three bypasses.”
In total, Tim spent more than a month in the hospital across multiple admissions. By the time he was discharged for the final time, he was physically and emotionally depleted.
Cardiac Rehab was recommended as the next step.
“When I came in here, I didn’t think I was ever going to be myself again,” Tim said. “I could barely walk. I’d hardly walked in two months.”
He wasn’t convinced the treatment plan, whether it be physical training or psychosocial support, would actually help.
“I thought it was kind of ridiculous at first,” he recalled. “I think I got on a machine the first day for three or four minutes, and it just about killed me.”
But he returned again and again, and what began to change in addition to his stamina was his mindset.
“The mental side of this never gets discussed,” Tim said. “You think you’re never going to be the same, but they’ve seen people go through this. They know you’re going to get better.”
Jennifer sees that shift often.
“You get to see the beginning to the end, not only improvement in their physical strength, but in their mental strength, too,” she said. “It’s very common to have anxiety and depression after heart surgery. You can see a difference in their face when they walk in the door as the program goes on.”
With the help of the Cardiac Rehab team, Tim lost nearly 50 pounds and regained his strength. He even returned for a second round of rehab to continue building on his progress. Eventually, the place he once doubted became somewhere he genuinely looked forward to being.
The relationships mattered just as much as the recovery.
“As time went on, he got more talkative with the other patients,” Jennifer remembered. “He just became an inspiration to them. It was amazing to witness.”
Stories like Tim’s are made possible in part because of community generosity. Through Baptist Health Foundation Richmond, donor support has helped provide essential resources for the Cardiac Rehab that allow patients to heal safely and confidently, close to home.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to have donors who understand what our program is doing for the community,” Jennifer said. “They’re able to provide us with some much-needed equipment.”
Tim, and so many others, have used that equipment to rebuild their lives, rep by rep. Today, Tim is stronger. In fact, he says it's the best he's felt in 20 years. He’s able to joke about the machines he once had little faith he could use, and he counts himself fortunate.
Even in reflection on moments that still feel heavy, laughter comes easier, and gratitude flows freely.
“It’s a life changer,” he said. “Somebody you know is going to be in this situation. You just don’t realize what a big help it is to have somewhere to go and people like this to help you.”
He cracks a joke before he’s even fully through the door. He playfully ribs the staff while catching up on the latest updates. Team members pop out of offices to say hello. Someone teases him about graduating months ago but still finding reasons to stop by.
The energy feels less clinical and more like a reunion.
This is the Tim they know now, but it wasn’t always this way.
“During his first few visits, he wasn’t as jovial,” said Jennifer Pruitt, RN, who worked closely with Tim in Cardiac Rehab. “He was in pretty bad shape health-wise after bypass surgery. But as time went on, he got used to us, and the real Tim started coming out. Everybody loved being around him.”
For most of his life, Tim’s truest self showed up in his work.
“I ran wide open for 41 years every day in automotive repair,” he said.
He built and operated his own business, where the pace was constant and slowing down wasn’t part of the plan. Though when he retired and stepped away, life shifted abruptly.
“I think honestly, if I’d have kept working, I don’t believe I’d have ever come to the hospital,” Tim admitted. “You’re so busy with your normal lifestyle. Out of ignorance, you just overlook things.”
One of those things was chest pain, which he began to notice around six months before deciding it was time to see a doctor.
“The pain was getting worse that day, and it was going around to my back,” Tim said. “I had five blockages and three bypasses.”
In total, Tim spent more than a month in the hospital across multiple admissions. By the time he was discharged for the final time, he was physically and emotionally depleted.
Cardiac Rehab was recommended as the next step.
“When I came in here, I didn’t think I was ever going to be myself again,” Tim said. “I could barely walk. I’d hardly walked in two months.”
He wasn’t convinced the treatment plan, whether it be physical training or psychosocial support, would actually help.
“I thought it was kind of ridiculous at first,” he recalled. “I think I got on a machine the first day for three or four minutes, and it just about killed me.”
But he returned again and again, and what began to change in addition to his stamina was his mindset.
“The mental side of this never gets discussed,” Tim said. “You think you’re never going to be the same, but they’ve seen people go through this. They know you’re going to get better.”
Jennifer sees that shift often.
“You get to see the beginning to the end, not only improvement in their physical strength, but in their mental strength, too,” she said. “It’s very common to have anxiety and depression after heart surgery. You can see a difference in their face when they walk in the door as the program goes on.”
With the help of the Cardiac Rehab team, Tim lost nearly 50 pounds and regained his strength. He even returned for a second round of rehab to continue building on his progress. Eventually, the place he once doubted became somewhere he genuinely looked forward to being.
The relationships mattered just as much as the recovery.
“As time went on, he got more talkative with the other patients,” Jennifer remembered. “He just became an inspiration to them. It was amazing to witness.”
Stories like Tim’s are made possible in part because of community generosity. Through Baptist Health Foundation Richmond, donor support has helped provide essential resources for the Cardiac Rehab that allow patients to heal safely and confidently, close to home.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to have donors who understand what our program is doing for the community,” Jennifer said. “They’re able to provide us with some much-needed equipment.”
Tim, and so many others, have used that equipment to rebuild their lives, rep by rep. Today, Tim is stronger. In fact, he says it's the best he's felt in 20 years. He’s able to joke about the machines he once had little faith he could use, and he counts himself fortunate.
Even in reflection on moments that still feel heavy, laughter comes easier, and gratitude flows freely.
“It’s a life changer,” he said. “Somebody you know is going to be in this situation. You just don’t realize what a big help it is to have somewhere to go and people like this to help you.”
“It’s absolutely wonderful to have donors who understand what our program is doing for the community. They’re able to provide us with some much-needed equipment.”
The Dawn of a Healthier Tomorrow
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