I started running competitively when I was 14 years old and it quickly became my passion. I was captain of my high school cross country and track teams, earned first team all conference honors, and competed at state. I then went on to compete at the D2 collegiate level for Michigan Tech for two years. After I stopped competing at the collegiate level, I continued running in my free time and completed my first half marathon in October 2018. One year later to September 19th 2019, I ran six miles and was a normal healthy active 21 year old college student.
Just two days later this all changed. I woke up on September 21st and went to my first class at 9 am. Normally I would stay on campus until my class in the afternoon, but I felt really tired and had to go to my apartment to take a nap. Later I decided to make the 90 mile drive home with my brother so I could relax for the weekend. When I got home I went on a walk with my parents, but found I was getting really cold and still felt tired so we cut the walk short. This is when things started to get much worse, I remember sitting in our living room shivering so much that I was shaking. My mom took my temperature and it was 103 degrees, but I felt so cold and could not stop shaking. I decided to go to bed with mountains of blankets and a heating pad, but even with all of that I was still shivering. The next morning things only continued to get worse, I could no longer keep any food or water down and getting out of bed became difficult. My fever was up to 104 degrees and I had extreme abdominal pain, but we all just thought it was the flu. I would even get moments where it wouldn’t hurt as much. On Sunday I was able to stand and take a shower without becoming dizzy. I took this as a sign that I could go back to school and study for my Immunology exam that week.
On Sunday night I was back at school and endured the worst night of my life. The pain became unbearable and the next morning my boyfriend (now husband) took me to the local clinic. Luckily they did not have any openings and we went to the emergency room at the nearby hospital where I was able to walk into the emergency room. Knowing what I know now, I have no idea how I was able to endure the pain of heart failure and walk myself into two walk-in clinics and the ER of the hospital.
At the hospital it quickly became apparent that I was much much sicker than I had thought. My blood pressure was dangerously low at just 60/30 and I was extremely dehydrated. I hadn’t been able to keep any food or water down all weekend. The last time I ate anything was Friday morning. After a CT scan they discovered I had fluid in my abdomen and around my heart. The nurses and doctors worked quickly to increase my blood pressure by pumping 9 units of fluids into me. (I gained 30 pounds!) At one point I asked one of the nurses if I should tell my mom that I was in the hospital. My mom dropped everything to drive two hours to be by my side. The doctor had told her that I was extremely ill. She made it to the ER in time to ride with me in an ambulance to the airport where I was Medflighted to Marquette, MI. At the hospital in Marquette they discovered that my heart was failing and my organs were shutting down.
Up until this point we were led to believe that my gallbladder was the issue. The doctor at the ER in Houghton told my mom that I needed to be Medflighted to Marquette because they had a surgeon there who could remove my gallbladder. As soon as we got to Marquette, I began emailing my professors that I would miss class on Tuesday because I was having surgery. However, by midnight, I had had an ultrasound, EKG and many other tests that indicated my heart was in serious trouble. One test revealed that my Troponin level was 20 indicating that my heart was severely damaged and under attack. On Tuesday morning rounds my “care team” informed my parents that I needed to be transferred to a level 1 trauma hospital – one with the capability of sustaining my heart function in the worst case scenario. They then decided it would be best to fly me to the Cardiac ICU at the University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. It was the longest ride of my life. I had a heart catheter put in to administer medication directly to my heart. Neither my parents nor I understood the enormity of this procedure.
In Madison I had the best nurses and doctors I could have asked for. The day after I arrived I had a biopsy of my heart and they determined that I had acute viral myocarditis, or essentially heart failure. At 21 years old I suddenly had heart failure. Everything in my life had changed and I realized I was no longer a healthy active college student who was on track to graduate in May. No one knew how fast I would recover or if I would recover. My doctors weren’t sure if I would be able to finish the semester and graduate on time, but I was determined to return back to classes as soon as possible and that is just what I did. Just one day after I was admitted into the Cardiac ICU I was walking again and three days after that I was off of dobutamine, the medication my doctors called “jet fuel for my heart”. My heart catheter came out on Saturday morning and I was able to move into a normal hospital room with a real bathroom. That was one of my biggest accomplishments to date, graduating from the Cardiac ICU. I had finally broken down and cried when I took my shower; the first one in a week.
On Monday October 1st I had another EKG of my heart and the doctors discovered that my heart ejection fraction, which is the amount of blood my heart pumped to my body, had improved from 25% to 60% . The doctors and nurses were amazed that I had been able to recover so quickly. I also had to have another CT scan that day because the extreme abdominal pain had returned. My doctors found that when my heart was pumping so slowly the week prior a blood clot formed in the apex of my heart and this clot spread throughout my body to my kidneys, liver, legs, and lungs. I was forced to stay in the hospital for four more days so the doctors could monitor me. The blood clots caused me to have fevers and I was not allowed to leave until I was fever free for 24 hours. Thursday, October 4th, ticked by slowly. I was tired of the bland food (I was on a low sodium diet), tired of the routine and recovering from the painkillers I was taking to deal with the blood clots. I was approaching 24 hours of being “fever free.” My night nurse came in for the bedtime rituals of, water refills and vital signs. My temperature was 99 degrees! Blood culture after painful blood culture came back negative for any infection. My nurse had told me the fevers were probably coming from my body’s response to the blood clots. Finally on October 5th my doctors told me the best news I had ever heard: after 5 days in the Cardiac ICU and 6 more on the Cardiac floor, I was going home!!
After two weeks of being inside, sleeping in a hospital room, and being poked and prodded I couldn’t wait to get back to my life with my friends and family. After leaving the hospital, I spent a week at home recovering and gaining some of my strength back and I returned back to classes on October 12th. Missing three weeks right in the middle of the semester was really hard on me. I missed two exams, many assignments, and project work for my Enterprise. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to juggle doctor visits, follow-up tests, weekly blood draws and complete the semester with a 3.67 GPA making the Dean’s list. This is something I am extremely proud of.
I had to overcome so much and work harder than I ever thought I could to catch up in all of my classes after missing three weeks. . Due to the trauma of heart failure on my previously healthy body, I had lost all of my strength and muscle. Just walking to class the first couple of days was a struggle for me. Not being able to run anymore and exercise like I used to was devastating. Running has always been my passion and my way to relieve stress. Having this taken away from me and not having the strength to live a normal life was difficult for me to come to terms with.
It has now been 6 years since I unexpectedly became sick with acute viral myocarditis. This year has been nothing but easy. I’ve had days when I was so afraid of getting sick again that the fear seemed to consume me. These are the days I leaned on my support system and without my amazing boyfriend (now husband), family, and friends I wouldn’t be where I am today. On my one year anniversary of being diagnosed with heart failure, I ran a half marathon, 13.1 miles. Since then I have run a half marathon every year, a full marathon, four 50k trail races and a 50 mile trail race. I am so thankful for everything my heart can do. Most days it feels like it was all just a bad dream. I am a healthy and active 28 year old, with no permanent damage to my heart.
The biggest two lessons I’ve learned are:
1. Listen to your body. – The Sunday after I became sick I insisted that I go back to school to study for my exam on Wednesday. At the time I was in a lot of pain, but just assumed it was the flu. I had no idea that my heart was failing and that by Monday I would be struggling to breath and would rely on an oxygen mask. My Immunology exam was NOT worth the pain I endured. Had I not gone to the hospital when I did, I have no idea what my story would look like.
I am thankful that when I went to the hospital in Hancock my doctors and nurses were able to treat me and recognize that I needed to be Medflighted to a bigger hospital. The next time I have that high of a fever or feel that type of pain I will immediately go to the emergency room. No matter what is going on in my life, an exam, a deadline at work, it is not more important than my heart and wellbeing.
This was a lesson I had to learn the hard way, because at 21 heart failure was the furthest thing from my mind. I’m guessing that is true for most people, so if you’re reading this I hope hearing my story will help you or a loved one in the future to listen to your body. To rest when you need to rest, and to take time to seek medical attention.
2. You cannot control what life throws at you, but you can give your body and mind the best possible chance to win the fight.
Going from running six miles a day to heart failure was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around. There were so many days that the fear of becoming sick again was all that I could think about. I had been so healthy and yet I still had heart failure, it just didn’t make sense.
But what does make sense is that BECAUSE I was so active, ran six miles a day, ate healthy and surrounded myself with people that loved and supported me, I was able to recover so quickly. Because of all the things I did before I was sick, I was able to run again just three months after being discharged from the hospital.
One year post heart failure, I was able to compete in a half marathon. It took me a long time to change my dialogue from “even though I was healthy I still got sick and it could happen again” to “because I was healthy I was able to recover so quickly and if it ever happens again I will beat it again.”
That is why completing this half marathon meant so much to me. It shows that heart failure couldn’t stop me and it won’t stop me. I will not live in fear, because I know I am doing everything I can to be healthy and strong. I hope my story inspires you to give your body the best shot at fighting whatever life might throw at you.
