Gwen was a healthy 53-year-old who suddenly came down with a stomach ache. She went to her primary doctor who thought it was a virus. Three days later Gwen noticed some significant swelling in her feet and she was exhausted. Gwen went to a local Urgent Care who did an EKG and told her she had some abnormalities and needed to go to the Emergency Department (ED). Once she got to the ED, they ran some more tests and told Gwen she was in congestive heart failure…
Within a week she was sent to a Carolinas HealthCare System hospital in Charlotte and was given two options: get a total artificial heart or go to hospice. She opted for the total artificial heart. She was in the hospital from October to January after the procedure. She lost her independence, when she would get up to walk she would have to have nurses with her to push the machine.
In January 2017 she had a heart transplant and began Cardiac Rehab at Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast, our hospital, in March 2017. She worked on building back her strength and towards getting back to normal activities. She was eager to do and learn all she could. She attended events outside of Cardiac Rehab such as “Walk with A Doc” and “Mended Hearts Support Group.” She graduated Cardiac Rehab and is still a member at the NorthEast Wellness Center. She can still be seen at the monthly “Walk with A Doc” and “Mended Hearts Support Group” meetings! She is doing more machines, more weights and living an independent life now!
