As I’m sure you are aware of by now, February is American Heart Month, which goes along perfectly with Valentine’s Day 💕 Since red is my least favorite color (with the exception of crimson – Go Cougs!), I probably won’t be sporting any awareness gear. However, I will still be saying my spiel for my yearly awareness post 😊 If you are my friend or have known me in the last 6 years, you are probably aware that I have a progressive disease that affects the heart and lungs. In 2020, I was diagnosed with Takayasu’s Arteritis (my immune system essentially started attacking my aorta and pulmonary arteries), which caused Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, which in turn caused congestive heart failure and blood clots in my lungs. Mine was and still is a complex case that requires a lot of medication and a lot of appointments to manage. However, bodies are resilient and hearts are amazing organs and have the capability to heal (with God’s grace and very expensive medications). The severe heart failure that I was diagnosed with in August of 2020 has since corrected and is now classified as mild.
I am incredibly fortunate that I have responded so well to my medications and treatments. I have an amazing medical team at the University of Washington, as well as locally in Spokane, and am blessed for their support and care. It is inevitable that the disease will start progressing again at some point, but with new innovations and treatments on the horizon I continue to have hope. I have gotten very good at finding silver linings and have been able to do more advocacy work for PAH, TAK, and rare diseases. For whatever reason, this happened to me for a reason and I have tried to find my purpose. I actually have my first published advocacy profile article coming out next month! We need more awareness for these diseases (early detection can save your life), as well as funding for continued innovations in research, and most importantly a CURE! My life depends on this, as well as our entire PAH community.
If you are able, please consider donating to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. I have been working with the PHA for advocacy work and they are a phenomenal organization that supports research, as well as patients that need extra help and support. Lastly, if you notice any signs of heart issues, please contact your doctor ASAP. Signs and symptoms may include chest pain, tightness, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, and swelling in the legs or stomach.
https://phassociation.org/get-involved/ways-to-give
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