Sharing My Story to Drive LVAD Awareness with Mended Hearts
Do you know what an LVAD is? Up until I had one implanted to save my life in 2011, I really didn’t know what one was. It wasn’t on my radar for one thing, and there were barely any resources online for the second. It is a Left Ventricular Assist Device. An electrical turbine attached to the bottom of my heart to aid in the pumping of blood where my own weakened heart couldn’t. It is a life saving device, it saved mine. It is also why I am sharing my story to drive LVAD awareness with Mended Hearts.
Mended Hearts, a non-profit organization offering the gift of hope to heart disease patients and their families. They have an incredible network of heart patient volunteers that peer counsel and visit with other heart patients to educate, inform, and help answer questions and spread awareness for people going through any aspect of heart disease. They are currently focused on driving that awareness and education around LVADs. If you have an LVAD, had an LVAD, or are a caregiver for someone who has, you can help by taking a few minutes to make a simple video to share your story and maybe show the awesome things an LVAD has allowed you to do. Could you please consider helping other heart patients by stopping by www.ThanksLVAD.com and sharing your story. You can help save a life.
Here is a preview and the link to the story I shared:
Embracing Technology Saved My Life — Literally
I had just been told I was about to die. Again.
I don’t want to be too melodramatic, but it was the third time I was being told this since I was first diagnosed with an enlarged heart (Cardiomyopathy), that was determined to have been caused by a flu virus at age 35. The year was 2011, I was 44. I had beaten all the doctor’s forecasts. I had dropped a significant amount of weight. I had changed my lifestyle to live healthier. I had a wife, and 3 children. I had way too much to live for. Death really wasn’t an option for me. I was too full of fight. Click here to read the rest.
This post is sponsored by Mended Hearts, a non-profit organization offering the gift of hope to heart disease patients and their families. All opinions are my own. Learn more about Mended Hearts at http://MendedHearts.org