Lincoln Heart Attack Survivor Has 'Heart for the Kettles'

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[December 16, 2016]  LINCOLN - Tony Shuff is a busy man. A heart attack was not on his to-do list.

The 64-year-old small-business owner had the warning signs: tired and easily winded, shortness of breath, minimal feelings of discomfort around the heart.

Shuff, who is also director of the Logan and Mason County Salvation Army, received life-saving care for his Oct. 5 heart attack at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. He then returned home to Lincoln to start cardiac rehabilitation at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
He’s already back to coordinating the annual kettle drive for the Salvation Army this holiday season – this year with a new name: “A Heart for the Kettles.”

“A ‘Heart for the Kettles’ came from doing my rehab program at ALMH,” Shuff said. “The rehab staff has been very encouraging. I actually feel better now than I have for some time.”

Shuff is nearing the halfway point of a 12-week rehabilitation program. He does one-hour workouts on five or six machines three times a week. He's already noticed a change in his strength and endurance, and his resting heart rate is adjusting to a more normal level as well.
The convenience of the hospital’s local rehab program is not lost on him.

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“We get the kettles started at the crack of dawn, and they go until 9 p.m. each evening,” he said. “Being able to come in for rehab first thing in the morning is worth everything. And the quality of the program is top notch. They know what to test for in each individual and what to work on. That gives you a level of peace and confidence.”

To help ring the bells or make a donation to the Salvation Army this holiday season, call 217-732-7890 and leave a voice mail. Shuff will be sure to call you back.

“This community has a heart for the kettles,” he said.

[Michael Leathers, Memorial Health Systems]

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