Bri Strong

Have you ever gone from living a perfectly normal life, to one day waking up and it was turned completely upside down? My name is Bri, I am 22 years old, and up until I was 21, I had no clue I was living with a deadly Congenital heart defect. I played elite fastpitch softball for 12 years, I traveled the United States playing. We would play up to 6 games a day in 100 degree heat. I exercised everyday with no clue something so serious was inside my body. Something that could cause cardiac arrest in a split second was in my own heart. A heart defect so severe it is the #3 killer in those my age. I had gone in for foot surgery, following surgery I dealt with severe chest pain and shortness of breath, I was taken to the emergency room. I had found out I had an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery. Doctors told me "this is going to kill you, you are being admitted to the cardiac unit". My mind was racing, as I heard beeping. My heart monitor was going off from sheer panic, knowing I was completely fine 12 hours ago. I couldn't believe the words I just heard, I tried to remain calm.

I was rushed to the University of Minnesota, where I heard the words "we have no clue how you are sitting here right now, you need emergency open heart surgery". I then had an unroofing procedure, to correct the artery from being compressed between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Recovery went well, until 6 months post-op. I got pneumonia that spread to my heart, causing pericarditis and collapsed lungs. Fast forward to now and I take 20 pills a day, my heart issues are so far advanced Mayo Clinic was stumped, I can't take my dog for a walk without being winded, some days I struggle to get dressed. I've been in the hospital countless times, my heart failure labs are the highest they have ever been. A year and a half ago I had no clue what a heart failure lab was. I've worn at least ten heart monitors. I've had thousands of lab tests, At least one time a week I go to get them checked to get sent to Mayo Clinic, or the U of M heart failure team. Countless tests such as cardiac mri's, echo's, and ct scans. Collapsed lungs and daily weight checks were something I never thought I'd have to worry about.

Now I deal with heart failure, constriction and thickening of the pericardium, left ventricle doesn't fill properly, heart infections, an issue with my septal wall, and ventricular tachycardia. The future is unknown as there is a possibility for another open heart surgery soon. What I would do to go back to my life BEFORE my open heart surgery is unreal. Never take your life for granted, it can change in a blink of an eye. #BriStrong