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Age: 51
Sex: Female
Race: Caucasian
Occupation: Marketing Professional
History
- Heart problem began as a fetus, born with a hole in heart
Turning Point
Karen does not recall much about the first nine years of her life. What she knows of it is what she hears from friends and family members. She could not play much and she spent a great deal of time squatting because it was a comfortable position for her. Growing up in the country, there was a lot of ground to walk. Her mom told her about how blue her fingers and lips would be after doing some simple tasks. Karen needed open heart surgery to repair the hole in her heart.
Her parents were very worried she would never live until the time that open heart surgery would be perfected. They desperately wanted her to live a normal life. Two years prior to Karen’s birth, her parents had lost a child that only lived a day because of a heart problem.
Today
Karen recalls that life truly began after her surgery. She rarely looks back and believes that is where her zest for life comes from. After the surgery, the doctors did not put any restrictions on her activities nor did they prescribe any medications. To this day, she doesn’t take any medication.
Several years ago, Karen had the pleasure to see Dr. Zuberbuhler, the cardiac surgeon who worked his magic on her. She remembers her parents telling her about the old car he drove back then. He was very pleased to see how well she was doing, 40 years post surgery. He told her that she had such a good outcome because of her physiology – no surprises during the procedure! |
