A book such as this doesn’t ‘just happen’  Obviously, it needs time  More importantly, though, it needs a variety of people with different skills and experiences to mine to flesh out what starts as a possibility, an idea.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Explained requires three additions to the list of people who support me in bringing a book such as this into existence.

Firstly, my collaborator and co-author, colleague and friend, Alistair Begg, a cardiologist with a special interest in rehabilitation who initially headed me in this direction and then provided valuable assistance and insight into the material of the book itself.

Secondly, a group of heart event sufferers – Ron, Brian, Darren Lehmann, and Greg Page – and rehabilitation specialists – Ashutosh Hardikar, Robert Zecchin, Angela Hartley, and Ralf Ilchef – who participated in Healthy Heart Network interviews with me and graciously and generously allowed their personal and professional experiences to be featured throughout these pages  This personal insight adds a new dimension to this, my fourth book.

Thirdly, Carolyn Astley, president of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Services, and several of her ACRA associates, who provided detailed, beneficial, and valued comment on an early draft of the book.

I also acknowledge my colleagues whom I hold in the highest regard and who were generous in offering professional review and collegial encouragement  Special mention is made of cardiothoracic and heart and lung transplant surgeon Emily Granger, of Sydney, New South Wales, for bringing her vast practical and academic experience to the foreword to this book, and world-renown lipid authority and friend Karam Kostner, of Brisbane, Queensland.

I’m grateful to my patients who have contributed to my collective experience upon which I was able to base this book and to the eagle-eyed masters of detail David Thomas and John Harbinson who provided candid, invaluable man-in-the-street-comments.
 
And then there are the highly skilled technical professionals who created the book: designer and artist Cathy McAuliffe, master of the computer Beverly Waldie, marketer John North and his team, and my writing partner Penny Edman, each of whom brings talent, commitment, and enthusiasm to the work.

To these close associates, to Chelle and my supportive family, and to everyone else involved in the production of Cardiac Rehabilitation Explained, I am deeply grateful.

Warrick Bishop, Hobart, Australia
December 2022