Your daughter needs a heart transplant!

On Saturday, March 23, 2024 those were the words told to me over the phone by a cardiologist at UVA.  He, and several colleagues, reviewed her heart cath from the previous day and this was the conclusion that they came to.  Her arteries were not only narrowed at the attachment site of the heart but were also hardened.  As if that wasn’t enough, her LAD – “the widow maker” – was found to be 95% occluded (blocked).  The cardiologist performing the heart cath made the decision not to stent the LAD.  I initially wasn’t too happy with that decision but felt much differently after he explained this decision.  He said, “imagine taking a superhighway and then ending it onto a dirt road – that’s what it would have been like in her heart if we opened up that artery to flow freely”.  Needless to say, we have a problem!  He went on to explain that years of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes is the primary culprit of this heart issue.  The next news was also shocking – they would not even begin the work or tests needed for a heart transplant.  This is because she does not currently qualify for transplant due to her out of control diabetes.  She currently has a HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) of 14 (the high end of normal is 5.6).  Due to this she is not even eligible for a heart transplant. From a medical point of view, she is a time bomb waiting to go off.

I am a registered nurse.  My first several years as a nurse were spent working on a cardiology unit.  I experienced a myriad of cardiac conditions, surgeries, procedures and post op/procedure care.  I’ve witnessed many miracles and many tragedies. On that unit I gained much knowledge and experience regarding the heart.  However, I did not take heart health very seriously where my own health and care were concerned.  I have managed to avoid diabetes (so far) but am obese and 3 years ago had quadruple bypass grafting.  I have not been a good example of the care and management of good health to my family or my patients.  It’s quite amazing that I have helped so many of my patients (I am currently a Care at Home nurse) improve their health while continuing to sabotage my own! 

My daughter, Tiffany, is my oldest child.  She and Bruce live in Virginia and have given me my 2^nd grandchild, Trenton True.  Tiff will be 45 years old in August.  Tiff, like her mother, has battled with her weight and she has also battled diabetes for many years.  She had triple bypass surgery at the age of 39, 5 years ago to the day of this devastating news.  At one point she weighed over 300 pounds but despite bringing her weight down from those heights is still considered to be obese. 

In the mid-1990s my mother-in-law, Bonnie, who is no longer with us, introduced me to the Hallelujah Diet.  At that time, I read the book “Why Christians Get Sick” and was amazed at the ongoing testimonials of everyday people, like me, who took control of their own health through diet and lifestyle changes. Not only did they feel the best they ever had, but in many cases reversed some serious illnesses.  For years I received the “Back to the Garden” publications and still have most of them and refer to them at times.  This information has stayed at the forefront of my mind ever since. I purchased several copies of “The Hallelujah Diet” when it came out and have loaned the books to many people over the years. I have shared the information numerous times over the years and many people I know have taken that education very seriously. In the mid to late 2000s I watched the documentary called “Forks Over Knives” and my interest and knowledge of what it takes to have a healthy body grew a lot!  This is where I learned that it is possible to reverse heart disease.  I’ve watched several other documentaries on diet/lifestyle that have added to my knowledge including “What the Health”, “Game Changers”, “The Gerson Miracle” and others.  I have read the book the China Study and am a firm believer that we can live healthy lives if we just take care of our bodies properly. I still did not adapt this style for myself though.

We, Tiff, Hannah and I, are all Christians.  Jesus is our Lord and Savior.  When this news was delivered to me, I immediately began notifying people who I know love the Lord and would faithfully pray for this situation.  I also began praying about this situation myself and what we could do.  I did not want my daughter to die, and I also did not want her to have to live the rest of her life as a heart transplant patient, unless absolutely necessary.  Very quickly God showed me that I have the knowledge that I need to improve this situation – it was time to put it into practice.  I shared this with my husband, and he agreed that this was the best course of action.  I called my daughter Hannah, who lives in Phoenix and asked her if Tiff and I could come to her home and put these diet and lifestyle changes into place and she was agreeable with the plan. Tiff and I both took 7 weeks off work – we thank God for our understanding employers and their desire to see Tiff get well – and here we are in AZ and beginning 6 weeks of whole food, plant-based eating along with juicing fresh fruit and veggies, daily exercise, fresh air, fresh water, lots of sunshine and daily time with the Lord.  I will do a daily assessment on Tiff, checking vital signs and BG monitoring.  Truth be told, I’m a bit scared.  If her LAD closes off and she drops from a heart attack I will be unable to save her – there’s a reason they call it “the widow maker” after all.  I don’t want to watch my oldest child drop dead in front of me, but I also couldn’t just sit around waiting to get a call that she did – I had to try what I could to save her life. I’d never be able to live with myself if I hadn’t at least tried. 

This is what this blog will be about.  Making major changes in our lives to save my daughter’s life and most likely greatly improving my own. I’m making the changes right along with her. We’ll talk more about that in another post.