Why I’m Here
I really connect with my project over all. The art about transplants, the psychology behind them, and overall what we can do to prevent a transplant. The reason this hits so hard to home is because I too have a heart defect. When I was 16, I went to the doctors office for an annual physical but this visit changed my life forever. After listening to my heart, the doctor told me to scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist to get an Ultra Sound of my heart. The cardiologist that my family chose was a world famous cardiologist for children, he was also one of my dad’s friend and colleague (dad is in medical device industry). We went through the process of ultra sounds and I watched my heart on the monitor, it felt surreal and I felt there was something wrong but assured that I was fine. We finished up and I went back to the room with my dad, we waited for the results in the dead-silent room. The doctor returns with a serious face and we knew that this wasn’t good. March 23rd, 2013 was the day I was diagnosed with an Over-Sized Aortic Vein, which has an estimated 15-20 years before one should considering transplant or possibly a replacement of the Aortic Vein. Any transplant operations is expensive and fairly new to the medical industry, which creates a long list for every body part. This bothered me and I never really fully accepted this fact that I needed a new heart, my old one felt fine! The more I researched, the more I’ve come to the realization that I don’t need a transplant to continue my life or continue to be happy. All you need is yourself, friends, family and a healthy lifestyle