About Me (In My Own Words)
Proud of My Scars – and Proud to Be a Survivor
I was born in 1975, a month prematurely, and diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis – a condition in which the heart’s valve narrows. For a new baby, this meant that the valve wasn’t opening fully, so the flow of blood from my heart into my aorta and the rest of my body were obstructed.
In 1976, just eight days before my first birthday, I underwent open heart surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, to repair the severe narrowing around the aortic valve. By the time I was 12, I was in need of further open heart surgery to repair the damaged aortic valve.
“My parents were given the difficult decision of choosing a replacement valve for me,” says Wendy. “There were three choices: a mechanical valve, a pig valve or a human valve. Their best choice at the time for a young, active, growing adolescent was the mechanical valve.” This valve seemed to be the most durable, with the longest life expectancy. However, Wendy would need to take anticoagulation medication, to thin her blood and reduce the risk of clots, for the rest of her life. And the mechanical valve made a “ticking” sound like a watch. “It would be my constant reminder each day that I was alive,” she says.
We knew that one day my body would outgrow the valve. “But until that time,” she says, “I continued on with my childhood, like any other normal child.”
The time arrived in September 2006. During open heart surgery, surgeons replaced the aortic valve with a larger mechanical valve (St.Jude Mechanical) and repaired leakage around the mitral valve. They also repaired my Aorta which was torn (Aortic dissection) during small aneurysms that I had been experiencing. They put a ‘sock’ over the Aorta to repair the tears.
“Today I am heart healthy, with all new parts,” Wendy says. “The third time, known for its popularity as the ‘third charm,’ may have been my last open heart surgery. We can cross our fingers and toes that that remains true.”
The ticking sound and the scars on my chest are the only reminders now that I am in any way different from anyone else. “The ‘ticking’ sound has made me both stronger and unique,” she says. “I have been and always will be proud of my scars, and proud to be a survivor.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Milton, Canada