Larry Steward and his wife Carol, shown third and fourth from right, prepare to cut their cake marking their 40th wedding anniversary with members of the Healthy Lives and Cardiac Rehab teams. Also pictured are Dr. Issac Tawfik, Chief of Cardiology, and Dr. David Anwar, Larry's cardiologist, fourth and fifth from left respectively.
Long Branch, NJ, February 16, 2026 – In recognition of American Heart Month in February, the RWJBarnabas Health Heart and Vascular service line is recognizing the lifesaving and lifechanging care provided by its Heart and Vascular care teams with is annual patient reunion celebrations. As a part of this systemwide celebration, Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) hosted a reunion with patient Larry Steward of Long Branch in the Cardiopulmonary Rehab Unit on February 9th.
Larry, 85, who underwent open heart surgery at Robert Wood University Hospital in New Brunswick, is an active patient with MMC’s Healthy Lives Program, which closely monitors patients with heart failure and COPD to reduce their risk of being readmitted to the hospital, and in the Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
At the reunion, Larry gathered with his cardiologist David Anwar, DO, and with team members from both Healthy Lives and Cardiopulmonary Rehab for the luncheon celebration. Denise Yaman, Healthy Lives Program Coordinator, shared that Larry started with the Healthy Lives program in April 2024 following multiple hospital admissions for chronic heart failure and falls.
“He and his wife were quite overwhelmed with the medications and care he required at home, as he was very debilitated and needed assistance with his activities of daily living,” she said. “Healthy Lives eventually stabilized him enough to undergo testing that revealed his need for the open-heart surgery, which he underwent in August 2024.”
She noted that when he returned to the program following the surgery they referred him to cardiac rehab.
“It was definitely a slow-go at first because of his generalized weakness after a very difficult year,” she said. “He would require a wheelchair to get from the front door and registration to Healthy Lives. He now can walk to us from Registration without any issues. He has come a long way for sure.”
Larry is shown with participants in his American Heart Month Patient Reunion in MMC’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation center.
Patti Ostrander-Coffey, nurse manager for Cardiac Rehabilitation, also shared details of Larry’s successful journey: “Larry arrived for his first evaluation for Cardiopulmonary Rehab in a wheelchair and using two liters of oxygen. He was quite deconditioned upon arrival, but as he progressed through the program, he was using less oxygen. For walking, he transitioned from a using a walker to using a cane. Larry and his wife Carol made his health a priority. They started to make improvements in his diet and embracing the core components of our program that address depression, quality of life, nutrition, and educate patients to be better advocates for their health. At the completion of the program, he was walking on his own without the use of a device, and he has since joined our Maintenance phase program and remains active with his exercise routine. He no longer uses his oxygen, and his depression screening, nutrition assessment and overall quality-of-life scores all significantly improved. Larry still comes three days a week, and he has bonded with other patients who come at the same times. They sing and laugh together; they made exercising more enjoyable. It has been such a great transformation to witness by the staff members in the department. Larry has gotten his life back thanks to Healthy Lives and Cardiac Rehab at MMC. He is an absolute pleasure to have in our program.”
Larry and his wife Carol celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary the day of his patient reunion and at the conclusion of the event, gathered with members of the Healthy Lives and Cardiac Rehab teams as well as Dr. Issac Tawfik, Chief of Cardiology at MMC, and his cardiologist Dr. Anwar to cut a celebratory cake.
To learn more about RWJBarnabas Health Heart and Vascular Services, visit rwjbh.org/heart.
Contact: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org