I have been a captain for Tampa Bay Heart Walk teams on and off for 10+ years. I started doing it to get involved in the community and have fun with colleagues at fundraising activities.
However in 2012 my mother started having shortness of breath. Being the highly educated Healthcare professional that I am, I immediately mis-diagnosed her with COPD from years of owning a smoky bar & grill. It was by a "stroke" of luck that she was seen by a physician for an unrelated issue, and she heard a heart murmur. It was discovered that my mother had a bicuspid aortic valve that was shredded to pieces, she had a compromised ejection fraction, and she would need an urgent valve replacement. I boarded a plane and rushed from FL to WI to arrive in time to find her up in a bedside recliner carrying on with her jokes and stories as she always had, ocassionally clutching a heart shaped pillow to her chest as she coughed. She was a very early patient to receive a "minimally invasive aortic valve replacement." Her inciscion was no more than one or two inches long, and her sternum had not needed to be cracked. She was discharged within 48-72hours.
During my now 15+ years in healthcare, it has been rewarding to see the advances in research and medical interventions- especially in the areas of cardiology/stroke and cancer (see my ACA fundraising page). These organizations help to save lives. Including mine and my mother's. Please donate.
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However in 2012 my mother started having shortness of breath. Being the highly educated Healthcare professional that I am, I immediately mis-diagnosed her with COPD from years of owning a smoky bar & grill. It was by a "stroke" of luck that she was seen by a physician for an unrelated issue, and she heard a heart murmur. It was discovered that my mother had a bicuspid aortic valve that was shredded to pieces, she had a compromised ejection fraction, and she would need an urgent valve replacement. I boarded a plane and rushed from FL to WI to arrive in time to find her up in a bedside recliner carrying on with her jokes and stories as she always had, ocassionally clutching a heart shaped pillow to her chest as she coughed. She was a very early patient to receive a "minimally invasive aortic valve replacement." Her inciscion was no more than one or two inches long, and her sternum had not needed to be cracked. She was discharged within 48-72hours.
During my now 15+ years in healthcare, it has been rewarding to see the advances in research and medical interventions- especially in the areas of cardiology/stroke and cancer (see my ACA fundraising page). These organizations help to save lives. Including mine and my mother's. Please donate.
