I Was 28, a Mom and Terrified of My Heart Diagnosis

Four months after giving birth to my second son, I knew something was wrong with my health.

It was December 2002. I went to the emergency department as I was experiencing shortness of breath. I was quickly discharged with a diagnosis of walking pneumonia. When I returned home, my breathing issues were so debilitating I couldn't even lie down.

I went back to the hospital days later, and this time, they listened to me. They conducted multiple tests and ultimately diagnosed me with postpartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a type of heart failure.

Postpartum cardiomyopathy is a condition that weakens the heart muscle and occurs in the last month of pregnancy or in the months immediately after delivery. It caused my heart failure, meaning that my heart wasn't pumping enough blood to meet my body's needs.

I was only 28 years old, and a single mother to an infant and an 8-year-old.

It was terrifying, but I felt lucky that I didn't become a statistic. I have since learned that in Georgia, where I live, a notable amount of women-related deaths are maternal deaths, and some of those happen between 42 days to 365 days postpartum.

There are different ways to treat and live with heart failure, including medications, life-saving devices, or a heart transplant. My doctors and I tried different approaches over several years before I underwent an evaluation for a heart transplant in October 2010.

The evaluation revealed that I had lung cancer, wrecking all hopes of a transplant. I survived the cancer, but I still needed a long-term solution for my heart.

This was the first time my doctors talked to me about implanting a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), often just called a heart pump.

I'll be honest: I was scared. Even worse, I had no way to connect with people like me to learn about their experiences. Older people who'd been married for 40 or 50 years, maybe. Not single Black moms in their thirties.

I refused the entire idea of a heart pump for about six months before accepting that I needed it, not just to survive, but to sustain the kind of life I wanted to live.

On January 6, 2012, I was implanted with my life-saving heart pump.

The technology helps protect the blood as it flows through the pump. After getting my device, I didn't really have any problems. Within seven days, I was doing squats and physical therapy in cardiac rehab, which helped prepare me to go home.

Once home, I had time to reflect, realizing it wasn't as bad as I had once feared.

That's when I became inspired to get involved with patient advocacy. My doctors in Indianapolis asked me to speak with other heart failure patients and share my experience with my heart pump.

Many what-ifs can go through our heads, especially if we don't have an example to refer to when making these life-altering decisions. I'm grateful to have taken that leap of faith and be here today to share how my heart pump has saved my life.

In October 2016, cardiac arrest pushed my heart to 392 bpm before stopping. I was then shocked 10 times in less than two minutes by my internal defibrillator. With my heart just pulsating, my LVAD kept it pumping.

My doctors told me that if it wasn't for my heart pump, I wouldn't be here.

Who would have imagined that the thing I was so afraid to receive would become my life support system? Now, I call it my little best friend, one that sticks by my side in the form of a small bag that carries the battery for my heart pump.

Today, I'm nearly 50 years old and still doing well, to the point where sometimes I amaze myself with my strength, abilities, and the things I can pull off.

My friends even forget I have a heart pump. One of my friends had a get-together and asked me: "Why are you walking around with your purse?" when she saw my little bag. I reminded her about my heart pump.

"Oh my gosh, you make that look so good. I forgot about it," she said.

I love her for that, but rarely do I ever forget. Not about my heart pump or my health, or about the other women who face similar challenges.

My heart pump allows me to live life to the fullest. For me, part of that means advocating for women's health, especially postpartum mothers.

In addition to offering support and sharing my experiences with other mothers—one-on-one and through the establishment of community support groups—I decided to become a part of a grassroots team through the Georgia American Heart Association that supports maternal health legislation in Georgia.

The testimony we provided to the Georgia Health and Human Services Senate Committee helped lead to the approval of Senate Bill 338 in 2022, which extends Medicaid coverage to women following childbirth from six months to one full year.

We're so proud of our advocacy and grateful that more women in Georgia have access to the care they need. However, this work is far from done. When women are diagnosed with PPCM and other conditions, it can make a lifelong impact.

It's felt by each mother, her children, partner, family, and even the community. These women need better access to care and support, and to be educated on the healthcare resources that are available to them.

I'm living proof that you can thrive with a heart failure diagnosis. I hope to share this message with more women and mothers, there is a solution on the other side. Find it, embrace it, and live it.

Tina Marsden is a mother of two sons, a peer support specialist/mentor, LVAD ambassador, patient leader and legislative advocate. She has been using a cardiovascular heart pump from Abbott for years. Tina is also the founder of Sistas Meetup, which is a non-traditional support group that shows women they can continue to live life beyond their diagnosis.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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