From Overwhelming to Life-Changing

“At first, what’s expected of you seems overwhelming,” says Richard Sassin, a cardiology patient who joined the UCLA Health Ornish Lifestyle Medicine(Link opens in new window) program, an intensive nine-week integrative medicine and lifestyle program. “I was with a group of nine people doing exercises together, joking together and getting to know one another. When you had those feelings of approaching death and mortality (from getting surgery) you tend to keep it inside, but to have a group of people who are all going through a similar circumstance is very comforting. The Ornish Program is something I truly looked forward to going to twice per week. It was the high point of my week and it has changed my life. It’s been a remarkable experience.”