My Life Changed Forever

I t was New Year's 2006, I was 29 years old, my daughter was only 6, I was told that I had 6 months to live and that I had the heart of a 95 year old.  An unknown virus had attacked my heart, out of the blue, and I was up for an evaluation to be put on the heart transplant list.  I was shown LVADs, left ventricular assist device, and horrified at how my life was chaning so rapidly in front of me I couldn't even catch my breath.  I spent about 2 months in the hospital, trying to get stabilized, and learning about my new condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy.  My ejection fraction was, and still is to this day, in the 10-15% range.  My husband of 12 years could not deal with the news that I was soon going to die and he became angry, a natural reaction and we separated at roughly the 6 month mark, when I was forecasted to die.  He moved me to an apartment close to the hospital and there I was left to die.

I didn't accept this!  I later found out that I was not eligible for a transplant, too many antibodies and a blood clotting disorder.  I was living on borrowed time already.  I heard about adult stem cells.

I went to Bangkok Thailand July of 2007 and had my own blood drawn, shipped to a lab in Israel, then shipped back a week later after thousands of MY OWN stem cells were cultivated.  STOP.  Stop thinking this could never happen to you.  Bangkok?  That's so unreachable you say?  NO.  STOP.  If you truly want to live and live the best life you can you will find a way....I was a girl struggling for my life.  Grasping.  The total cost, for everything, airfare, food, everything, was roughly $45,000.  Top care.  Top doctors.  Top hospital.  5 star hotel.  Not a long recovery.  (1 month).

I can't begin to tell you how that trip changed my life.  I arrived in Thailand unable to even do any site seeing, and today my daughter and I are going swimming at the YMCA, we park as far away as we can in the parking lot.  I don't use my handicap parking pass any more. 

Over 3 years later, here I am.  Those who know me say I look younger and healthier than I did before my heart condition.  Since adult stem cells I have less pvcs (36,000 a month then, 1400 a month now), my mitral valve regurgitation has gone from severe to moderate, my bnp has gone from 586 to 173.  Those are just the measurable results.  I feel good, some people say I glow.  I have more energy, though I have had no change in my ejection fraction and no major change in the size of my heart (I think it has shrunk .4cm since adult stem cells).  The doctors have no explanation for this, maybe if there was more funding to research I could explain this phenomena.

Please note that Adult Stem Cells, sometimes resferred to as ASC, ARE NOT THE SAME AS EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS.  Other countries (other than the USA) are showing major progress with adult stem cells- it is even predicted that they will soon be able to grow a heart for me out of my own blood.  Wow.  

I have hope!  You should too.  It is possible, where there is a will, there is a way!!!!!