Susan1
20+ years since diagnosis
Age at interview: 64
Susan had suspected something wasn’t perfect with her health ever since she was a teenager, as she noticed that she would struggle to climb the hill to get to school while her friends did not. When Susan was in nursing school, her brother passed away from obstructive cardiomyopathy. The doctors suspected family genetics and they performed a cardiac cath on her, leading to a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She was followed by a cardiologist afterwards. Having then started her career as a nurse in Toronto, a bout of acute pulmonary edema had brought Susan to the emergency department. She was later admitted to the cardiac ICU where it was identified that the arrhythmia she had been experiencing had progressed to some congestion. At age 34, Susan was told she was in congestive heart failure. While she quickly learned to manage her diet to reduce the fluid retention, her fear of the disease started sinking in. Heart failure also meant changes to her job, a divorce, and depression. Knowing that her condition was hereditary, Susan also made the decision to have a tubal ligation. Susan received a heart transplant at the age of 39. Despite feeling well enough to return to work, she experienced work place bullying and was forced to leave the profession. However, Susan carried on and got her Masters’ degree, and has since become, and still is, a nurse educator, teaching and advocating for the next generation of nurses. She now prioritizes spending time with family and friends, dinners, vacations, and her dog.
More content
- Self-care – Maintaining Your Own Well-being – Susan1Susan1 says "live in the moment, but plan for the future."
- Coping Strategies – Susan1Susan1 talks about how diet and exercise helped her cope with waiting for a heart transplant.
- Coping Strategies – Susan1Susan1 said managing her diet and her attitude helped her to cope.
- Mental Health & Emotional Support – Susan1Susan1 describes how shocking it was to read the diagnosis.
- Reflections on Identity, Life and Death – Susan1Susan1 describes being defibrillated and feeling as though she had 'crossed over'.
- Reflections on Identity, Life and Death – Susan1While awaiting her transplant in ICU, staff gave former nurse Susan1 some work to do.
- Impact on Daily Life – Susan1Susan1 made her own choice to not have children.
- Care Delivery – Susan1Susan1 felt like a VIP because of the kind way the nurses treated her, while staying in ICU.
- Impact on Work, School, Finances – Susan1Susan1 shifts career to teaching nursing instead of doing clinical care due to lack of workplace accommodation.
- Impact on Work, School, Finances – Susan1Susan1 says needing shift accommodations started a workplace bullying situation.