Personal Narrative: Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome

For her birthday my daughter asked for only one thing: a full head of hair to make her feel like a princess. At almost seven she had little understanding of death. Survival, it seemed, did not compare to the momentary fix of princess locks. The cancer had already robbed her of so much, the chemotherapy more still. If a decent wig offered even the tiniest chance of lifting her spirits, then I would do everything in my power to make it a reality.

I had been really struggling with my leukemia during the month of January. Bruises covered my body and my weight had dwindled down. The worst part of all of this was keeping the secret from Landon. He saw a difference in me no matter how hard I tried to hide it. One day Landon and I went to grab a bite to eat at Cecil’s Diner. That was where I decided I needed to tell him. We were walking back from the diner, arm-in-arm, hoping not to be blown away by a nor’easter. I incited the conversation by asking, “People think I am weird, do they not.”

Left-sided heart failure is the most common type of heart failure, and it is a result of left-ventricular dysfunction. This disease poses a significant threat to patients because the primary function of the left side of the heart is to provide sufficient oxygenated blood to satisfy the metabolic demands of the body’s cells. Understanding the main function of this portion of the heart will help with the understanding of other complications associated with this diseased. Left-sided heart failure is usually the result of the loss of heart muscle function, specifically in the left ventricle secondary to coronary artery disease, prolonged hypertension, or myocardial infection (Lewis et al. 2014, 766). The

Reaching across the center console of my car, I imagined the commute that I had into school. My 1992 Jeep Cherokee courageously braved the snowstorm of the year, with only one functional windshield wiper and a forlorn four wheel drive system. As I turned onto the Merritt Parkway, a Honda Civic swerved past me and proceeded to weave in and out of the afternoon traffic. Fast-forward sixty seconds and that Honda was now engulfed by the powder white trees which bound the highway. Instinctively, I pulled up behind the crash site, dialing 911 as I ran over to the mangled wreck. I peered into the car, my pupils the size of marbles, and the driver seemed uninjured; regardless, I proceeded to reassure the driver that Emergency Medical Technician’s/Paramedic’s

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is a very serious birth defect. Studies say, “each year approximately… 640 to 1440 infants in the United States are born with HLHS” (Paediatr Child Health,2). Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, also known as HLHS, is a birth defect where the left ventricle of the heart is either underdeveloped or absent. Today, there are heart surgeries that can help children born with HLHS survive longer and sometimes even live long, happy lives. Though, not all children survive HLHS. Many infants die whilst waiting for a donor heart.

This summer I attended the Metro Detroit Heart Walk benefitting the American Heart Association. It’s a walk or run race that started at Ford Field and span five kilometers throughout the streets of downtown Detroit preceded by a short informative event. I'd been asked to compete by my godmother Sandy, who works for a Henry Ford hospital, one of the event sponsors. I decided the run the race, even though I’m probably the least athletic person in the world. I wanted to challenge myself and make Sandy happy.

The kidneys filter fluid and waste products from the blood into the urine, but when the heart cannot pump adequately, the kidneys malfunction and cannot remove excess fluid from the blood. This is because when the heart is no longer pumping efficiently it becomes congested with blood, causing pressure to build up in the main vein connected to the kidneys and leading to even more congestion of blood, except this time in the kidneys as well. The kidneys also suffer from the reduced supply of oxygenated blood because of decreased pulmonary circulation. Both of these when combined together are the main factors as to why kidney filtration decreases due to left sided heart failure.

Make-A-Wish is one of the most well-known charities in the world for giving dying children one last wish and making it come true for them. I remember in middle school one of my friend’s brothers had cancer and so his parents reached out to Make-A-Wish to try and give their son a happy memory that he could cherish for the rest of his life. He wished he could ride in a monster truck so the people at Make-A-Wish had it arranged and they reached out and asked them to come to the Delta Center which was home to the Utah Jazz but could also house monster trucking. He went and got to ride in the most famous monster

To a certain point, one is able to anticipate the type of reactions and feelings that can be unleashed at the moment a cancer diagnosis is received. Anxiety, fear of physical suffering, impotence, and apprehension could be considered common responses to such situation. However, writer, Suleika Jaouad, using of much frankness, portrays a different aspect of reaction in her essay “Finding My Cancer Style”. Along with the inevitable question, “Was I going to make through this?” (Jaouad 831), came the unexpected preoccupation about whether or not she would lose her hair. As the chemotherapy developed, Jaouad describes how surprised she was to find that her concern about her look immediately began to shape her behavior. In an attempt to regain control

Why? Well, I personally have a heart condition. I was born with left Valve Stenosis witch means my heart has to work harder to pump blood though the valve and my body can suffer with less oxogen. With having this condition I do have chest pains, more then anyone has. The wild part is I can not take birth control because there is a lot of effects within the heart. I’ve had an inhaler many times to help with my breathing and multiple open heart surgeries. With my condition there are many things in this world I am not able to do, such as I have to be a certain weight. As for me I can’t weaigh over 120 pounds, I can’t go on roller costers, I can’t have too much salt, and I’m very limited on working out and I can’t skip meals and being stress is not great for my heart.

Condition where the left side of the heart is unable to pump an adequate amount of blood to the body, and can be life-threatening.

Make-A-Wish is a non-profitable charity and I believe it should continue forever. Make-A-Wish gives such a positive view on life and makes life feel wonderful again. Make-A-Wish has granted over 415,000 wishes worldwide since 1980. it also helps serve through nearly 50 countries,through 5 continents and 40 affiliates. These wishes have helped many people. Make-A-Wish concluded that they always put the child first and put the best in their practices. From article “A Hirsute Pursuit for Make-A-Wish Vermont” Author Sadie Williams wrote that a grown man named Bryan Sturge Was told his daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Bryan decided to grow out his beard he have had. He promised his daughter he would grow out his beard until she was officially announced cancer free. Sadly, she died before she go to see the day. Bryan decided to grow out the beard in memory of his daughter (Williams). Hazel Redmond, a young, 17 year old female who had big dreams. In 2010, she's was always doing sports and school activities like a normal girl. She was not any different than the girls there.she noted she started to get a sore throat and her body started to weaken. That's when she realized her life I completely change and she could not go to school anymore. She did not know a Make-A-Wish and her friend was a part Make-A-Wish. She did not know what Make-A-Wish was capable of. When she got involved with Make-A-Wish her

I worked with a 97-year-old female patient admitted to our skilled nursing facility due to frequent falls at home and exacerbation of Congestive Heart Failure. She was born and brought up in a small town in Texas. Her husband was in navy when they moved to Alameda (California) during the second world war. Ms. Jones (Pseudonym) was a homemaker and took care of the family most of her life. She lived with her son and grandchildren. She was independent in basic activities of daily living, cooking, light household chores prior to hospitalization. She used to cook and bake until a few weeks ago when her condition started to deteriorate.

“These men were somehow different from other men. They were said to have Soldier's Heart” (XV) Who are these men some might ask and what is Soldier's Heart. Well, page XV tells us, “In the Civil War the syndrome was generally not recognized at all...killing by men using raw firepower...The same young men were fed into madness...in those days there was no scientific knowledge of mental health disorders…Some men came through combat unscathed. Most did not...They were said to have Soldier's Heart” This gives us an abundance of information about the questions stated beforehand. From this quote, we realize that Soldier's Heart is a mental syndrome or disorder. Also we realize that the people diagnosed with Soldier's Heart are troops in the armed

I am a NP currently working for a Hospital Medicine group in an inpatient setting. My primary job responsibilities are to admit patients into the hospital, round on patients, provide cross cover on the patients on our service, provide cross cover on inpatients who our group is consulted to see, respond to rapid response codes, and occasionally discharge patients.