Esther FitzRandolph is 68 years old and dealing with a heart condition. For a while she was battling depression and felt as though she was going to give up.
"I didn't want to do anything," said Esther. "I would just sit around."
Then there's 68-year-old Danny Pszcolkowski who also has heart issues and depression. "I kind of refused the exercises and all that, at times," said Danny. Despite the advice of his doctors to lead a healthier lifestyle, he just didn't have any motivation to change.
The two both had heart transplants and were being treated at the University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital. That's how they met. They'd pass each other in the hospital halls and eventually began chatting.
Esther had been twice divorced and fed up with men, and Danny was a lifelong bachelor, but the two decided to begin dating anyway.
"When your mind is in a better place, and your heart, then you're going to heal better," Esther says. After she began dating Danny, it seemed her health was on the upswing. Doctors couldn't pinpoint any reason for the improvement, Esther believes it's love. Sometimes true love comes a little late: Donna Hanover and Ed Oster are another couple that prove that.
When asked if there was a scientific explanation, Cardiologist Dr. Leway Chen said, "Not science that we can put our finger on."
The changes weren't only apparent in Esther, but in Danny too. "Yes, he's been more active and involved in his care," Dr. Chen says.
"I wanted to do more things," Esther says after beginning her romance with Danny. "I wanted to walk. I wanted to ride a bike!"
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