Founder & President

Aaron Holm has been living with heart disease for over 30 years and in 2018, Aaron had a heart attack and a quintuple bypass. Facing death changed Aaron’s life and in the months following surgery, as he rehabilitated his body and mind, he found that he had a deep connection with other heart patients . There is a shared experience, understanding, and intimacy between heart disease patients and those who have experienced heart surgery and directly faced mortality and Aaron wanted to bring people together to support each other, particularly in the times leading up to and following surgery when life changes so quickly and mortality comes into focus, often for the first time. Mended Hearts of Puget Sound exists to serve the heart-patient community in our region.

Aaron writes from time to time on the ongoing experience of heart disease on his website - here’s a link: https://aaronholm.com/hearts

Founder & Vice President

Dr. Sarah Speck is a recognized leader in preventive cardiology. She is a member of the Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute and serves as the Medical Director for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness at Swedish in Seattle. Her private practice interests include non-invasive cardiology, women’s cardiology, preventive, and lifestyle cardiology. She is the founder of POTENTRx, a medical fitness company using “exercise and nutrition as medicine”. She is an active volunteer in a variety of professional and community organizations and is a founding member of the Puget Sound Mended Hearts chapter.

Founder & Secretary

Hello! I am your MHOPS secretary, and I am blessed to be a founding member of our Mended Hearts of Puget Sound group. I am an exercise physiologist and licensed athletic trainer with over 35 years working in the health care field and 27 of those years working in cardiac rehabilitation. I enjoy the opportunity to help people achieve their exercise and health goals, understand their heart disease, and discover that they can still lead their best life after a heart event.
I was born is Seattle and grew up on the east side of Seattle. I love this area, especially on a clear day when the Mountain is out! My favorite things are spending time with family, friends, and animals and, the water: rowing and open water paddling and swimming. I enjoy reading for knowledge and especially a good mystery story. I am an avid recipe collector and wish I had more time to cook. Thanks for visiting our website.