A Stronger, Healthier Heart | Scott's Story

Wilson Police Chief Scott Biddle kicked off 2022 by making his heart health a priority. For the past six weeks, Chief Biddle has spent one hour a day, three days a week in the cardiac rehabilitation gym at Wilson Medical Center focused on improving his heart health after suffering a cardiac event last fall.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 felt like any other ordinary day for Chief Biddle as he headed off to an evening function for the Greater Wilson Rotary Club. Life changed in an instant for Chief Biddle when he collapsed during the event and went into sudden cardiac arrest. His heart had suddenly stopped beating. His fellow Rotarians sprung into action by calling 9-1-1 and starting CPR. Paramedics arrived on the scene eight minutes later and were able to revive him using a combination of CPR and defibrillation.

Chief Biddle was rushed by ambulance to Wilson Medical Center’s Emergency Department, an accredited Chest Pain Center, where he received a series of tests and a cardiac catheterization (cath). While the cath showed no signs of a heart artery blockage, his heart function was assessed by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) and determined to be low. He was transported to a tertiary care facility for additional care.

Actively involved in the community through his line of work and civic engagement, Chief Biddle knew that strengthening his heart would be an important step in recovery. From coaching baseball and football at Toisnot Middle School to serving on multiple boards including the United Way, Diversified Opportunities and Rotary Club, Chief Biddle was eager to resume his normal activities, so he consulted his cardiologist Paul Perez-Navarro, MD. Dr. Perez-Navarro referred to Chief Biddle to Wilson Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program, and he began attending a few weeks after being discharged from the hospital.

Cardiac rehab is a program designed to help patients make lifestyle changes to improve their condition and resume a normal lifestyle after suffering a cardiac event. The team at Wilson Medical Center, which includes a coordinator, exercise physiologist, dietitian, and registered nurse, provides supervised exercise, education classes and nutrition counseling.

“It is important for Chief Biddle to attend cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) to help strengthen his heart muscles. His heart has suffered from a major event. Participating in the cardiac rehab program is a recommended multidisciplinary program to expedite the heart healing process. It is proven to significantly reduce his chance of having additional problems and help improve eating habits. Some people think cardiac rehab is ‘just exercise’ and they can do that on their own. It’s a lot more than that and if your doctors recommend it, you should certainly consider it,” said Dr. Perez-Navarro.

Chief Biddle is more than halfway through the 12-week program and is on the road to recovery. He credits the team at Wilson Medical Center for this success.

“The cardiac rehab team has been great. I walk on the treadmill, work out on the exercise bike and do exercises with the resistance bands, all while being carefully monitored by the staff,” said Chief Biddle.

Your journey to a stronger heart starts at Wilson Medical Center. If you have questions about your heart health, take our heart health assessment and learn more about any risks you may have for heart-related conditions.