Heart failure survivor Shemeka Campbell shares her story of survival and recovery
Heart failure survivor Shemeka Campbell shares her story of survival and recovery
After losing her sister to heart related complications, Shemeka Campbell, 34, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, requiring an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which ultimately saved her life.
Content
0.25 -> (solemn music)
3.61 -> -: My first cardiac episode was completely out of the blue.
9.92 -> I was alerted that something was wrong in my body
14.29 -> because I felt a rapid sensation of my heart.
24.78 -> I was extremely fatigued, and I was just overall tired.
41.51 -> Life prior to my first cardiac event was easy.
46.53 -> It was fun-filled.
49.03 -> I was outgoing.
50.9 -> I had no limitations, no restrictions.
55.16 -> I was told that my heart rate was in the high 100s.
61.15 -> They told me that it was a condition
63.76 -> called super ventricular tachycardia, so SVT.
68.53 -> I had never heard anything about it
71.76 -> and I was completely unaware of it.
75.18 -> At that time, after being diagnosed with SVT,
78.11 -> I didn't get any family history.
80.36 -> I kinda talked to my Dad and my grandmother about it.
85.48 -> They both were a little baffled,
88.72 -> 'cause we didn't realize
89.85 -> that it could potentially be something that was genetic.
93.73 -> I didn't have a concrete plan because I thought,
97.7 -> hey, I'm young, it'll go away,
100.18 -> it'll probably never happen again.
103.05 -> In 2016, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
107.69 -> At that time, doctors wanted me to have an ICD implanted
113.34 -> because my ejection fraction was going up
116.77 -> and it was coming down, but it was trending down.
120.82 -> I was opposed to it for various reasons, but they persisted,
127.44 -> and I decided to get the ICD implanted in 2018
132.97 -> after the passing of my sister in 2017.
141.34 -> After the ICD was implanted,
146.55 -> I figured I live life to the fullest,
149.27 -> that I would try to have an overall healthier lifestyle,
153.53 -> that I would identify the stressors that were in my life,
158.61 -> because stress, of course, was a contributing factor.
162.17 -> And needless to say, the ICD did save my life.
167.02 -> My message to younger women,
168.88 -> don't ignore the signs that your body is sending you.
172.076 -> (solemn music)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDXpS1z2O7s