here my heart story: Patient of the month
Kimberly Kostner
Kimberly Kostner
thirty-five years ago, Kimberly Kostner was born in sunny Hollywood, Fl., with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), a congenital heart defect occurring when the large vessels that carry blood away from the heart to the lungs and the rest of the body are improperly connected, and multiple ventricular septal defects (VSD), also known as holes in the heart. As a newborn, she went into chronic congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart is too weak to supply adequate blood flow to the body's organs. Luckily, her grandmother, who lived in Boston, saw an article in Time magazine about doctors at Children's Hospital Boston who were mending tiny hearts. They made an appointment and at the age of 4 months, Kimberly came here for surgery. "The doctors said that I had holes in my heart-it looked like Swiss cheese," she says.
Now almost 30 years later, Kimberly struggles with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but she hasn't let any of it slow her down. She dedicates her time to educating people about congenital heart defects on her MySpace page, procuring Mary Kay Cosmetics for friends and family and also volunteering at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fl. She is particularly interested in working with patients and families dealing with congenital heart defects. "I've been through it all. I want to give the kids some reassurance that everything will be all right," she says.
Although she has had some setbacks because of her learning disabilities, Kimberly feels like she is living a satisfying life. "I'm a great person," she says. "Even though I didn't get to go to college, I've learned lots of trades." In 2000, Kimberly graduated from high school and went on to vocational school for early childhood education. Currently, she and her mother are working on writing her autobiography to help aid congenital heart defect awareness. Kimberly says her mom, Debbie Kostner, is her hero. "My mom has been by my side since day one," she says. "Throughout all my problems, I feel good that I'm still alive and I have great friends and a family that supports me."
On top of her support network, she recently got something else that she's been hoping for her whole life. When Kimberly turned 27 last year, her parents granted her lifelong wish: a horse to call her own. Now every morning, Kimberly, who lives with her mother in Cooper City, Fl., gets up and goes down to Condee farms , where she grooms and rides her Paint Bree Kostner.
