Impact Stories

For many years, 83-year-old Helen Magas of Kalamazoo has maintained an impressive workout routine that is the envy of her peers. Each day, Helen performs strength, balance and flexibility workouts with weights, tension bands and exercise balls. She also rides a stationary bike, walks on a treadmill and participates in Zumba classes.

“Health and fitness mean everything to me,” says Helen, a retired physical therapist for special education children. “I’ve always been very health-conscious. It’s important to stay fit so you can get around, especially as you get older.”

Helen and her late husband Thomas, who was a pharmacist, began taking walks together years ago at a local nature center. Now, Helen tracks her steps, tallying near 10,000 per day.

So it’s no surprise that Helen is a regular entrant in 5K walking events. But before competing in the 5K walk portion of the 2019 Kalamazoo Marathon/Borgess Run, Helen received a surprising and potentially life-threatening health diagnosis.

The day before the event, Helen went to Ascension Borgess Hospital for a free heart health screening event. That’s when she learned she had a significant blockage in the atrioventricular node, which connects the heart’s electrical systems.

“I thought I’d pass the screening with flying colors. In addition to my exercises, I follow a Mediterranean diet. But the doctor said my EKG results were irregular and there was a problem with the electrical component of my heart.” 

“The doctor said that if I did the walk the next day, I might have had a serious health issue.”

Helen immediately went to the ER at Ascension Borgess, where she received a pacemaker in the Ascension Borgess Heart Institute Cardiovascular Lab (CVL). Philanthropic gifts by generous donors have helped establish the CVL as a premier center with excellent facilities, highly experienced physicians and surgeons, and state-of-the-art equipment.

“I received excellent medical care at Borgess. The doctors and nurses closely monitored my condition and were as kind as they could be. They always had my best interest at heart and treated me like family.” – Helen M.

After discharge, Helen soon began experiencing shortness of breath and swelling in her legs. She returned to Ascension Borgess Hospital and received a congestive heart failure diagnosis. But after subsequent hospital treatment and physical therapy, Helen made a full recovery.

“Today, I feel very good,” says Helen, who’s also an avid gardener. “I have the doctors at Borgess to thank for that. And I believe my positive attitude makes a difference. I’m taking more fitness classes than ever and I continue to enter walks. In fact, I’ve already signed up for the 2025 5K.”

In gratitude for the exemplary care she received from the doctors, nurses and staff at Borgess Hospital, Helen has chosen to make annual charitable gifts from her IRA to the Ascension Borgess Foundation. She chose to designate her gifts to the Borgess Heart Institute and Borgess Cancer Center.

“I was very lucky to have learned about the healthy heart screening event at Borgess,” Helen says. “It’s very important to take advantage of these events, no matter how good you feel, no matter what your age.”