EDINBURG — These men have deep, purple scars etched to their chests to remind themselves that good friendships can be made even in the most unlikely places.

The three men — Enrique Navarro, Damaso Dominguez Jr. and Antonio Cumba — flaunted the inches-long, jagged scar that cut through the center of their chests at the Advance Care Center at Renaissance in Edinburg on Friday, right before walking out.

They’ve spent much of the last three months at the center completing a cardiac rehabilitation program following the open-heart procedures each of them had last year, and formed a strong bond with one another along the way.

Before their intimate graduation ceremony Friday with a few of the center’s nurses and Ranchero music playing (a unanimous choice by the three friends), Navarro unbuttoned his top for everyone to see his long scar. Antonio lifted his shirt up to proudly show his scar, as though it’s a medal.

Not only were the scars evidence of their perseverance through invasive surgeries, but also served as emblems of the special friendships they’ve made during their time in the program. It was a bittersweet moment for the men. The friendship they forged with each other became so special to one another that they almost didn’t want to leave.

“If I didn’t have that heart attack, I wouldn’t have met such beautiful people and my good friends who are here with me today,” Navarro said in Spanish, with tears welling in his eyes.

Following a severe heart attack, the 73-year-old retired welder had heart surgery last September. If the heart attack was the only way Navarro would have met the people he did at the Edinburg center, he would do it again.

Antonio Cumba, 68, Damaso Domiquez, 68, and Enrique Navarro, 73, receive treatment at the DHR Health rehab center in Edinburg on Friday. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

“I don’t want to leave because I’m real happy here, I’m happy with you guys,” Navarro said, looking over at Dominguez and Antonio, who have become almost like younger brothers to him.

Dominguez and Cumba chuckled while agreeing that Navarro led the group, often singing throughout the day and telling the most stories.

Cynthia LiVigni, a nurse at the rehab center, gleefully watched the three men smile and laugh heartily together Friday. For the past few months, not only has she seen them work hard to regain their strength, but was a witness to the formation of a special bond.

She spent much of the last few months helping them on treadmills and teaching them how to maintain healthier diets, but on their own, she said they discovered another therapeutic method of keeping a healthy heart: friendships.

There is a strong connection between well-being and healthy friendships, according to the Mayo Clinic. Not only do close friends provide support during difficult times, but they reduce stress, lowering a person’s risks of heart disease and strokes.

A study published by Harvard Medical School found that in a group of 309,000 people, the lack of “strong relationships” increased their risks of premature death by around 50%, since they had higher chances of becoming obese or adopt smoking addictions.

LiVigni said the three of them passed with flying colors.

“They all exceeded,” she said. “We do assessments of them and testing of them when they start and when they finish, and so far they have gone above when they started.”

She said she was going to miss picking them up from the center’s lobby, where she often found the three together already, exchanging stories and jokes. Laughter among the trio filled the air Friday as they continued to crack jokes even while taking a group picture.

Enrique Navarro, 73, talks about the day he flatlined on the operating table at DHR Health rehab center in Edinburg on Friday. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

Dominguez, 68, said the three of them were never met before starting the program but it didn’t take long for them to find common ground.

“I didn’t know them in the beginning, we were complete strangers, just like when you go to school in first grade,” he added.

Dominguez had four bypasses before his heart surgery last August. He said he and Navarro both grew up in Monterrey, and found out they both have been to the same parts of the city.

When asked if he was going to miss his new friends, he was quick to say, “Definitely, yes I definitely will.”


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