Life on the Heart Transplant List
At just 35 years old, champion golf coach Joanne Steele is on the heart transplant list. She has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy–unexplained thickening of the heart muscle–and was diagnosed over three years ago. After experiencing prolonged atrial fibrillation, fatigue, and dizziness, she had to have a pacemaker as well as a defibrillator implanted and now must take up to 10 pills every morning.
While Joanne waits for a new heart to be available, she continues to coach and take care of her two daughters. A private plane and other transportation are waiting for the big day to arrive.
She says,
It’s good for me to get out, and do that and not feel I’m limited in what I can do. I just need to be the strongest person I can each day.
Living each day to the fullest as befitting a hearty life.
The Mercury News, May 10, 2006
Technorati Tags: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiomyopathy, cardiovascular disease, cvd, heart, heart disease, disease, health, heart transplant
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POSTED IN: Heart Conditions, Heart Transplants, Hearty News
4 opinions for Life on the Heart Transplant List
A Hearty Life » Heart Condition Saturday: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
May 13, 2006 at 3:10 am
[…] A couple of days ago, I wrote about Joanne Steele who’s on the heart transplant list after developing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Here’s some more information on the disease for this week’s Heart Condition Saturday, […]
A Hearty Life » Life on the Heart Transplant List: Karl Biesler
May 19, 2006 at 2:36 am
[…] When I posted for the first time about life on the heart transplant list, I didn’t think I would have enough material to post on it so quickly again. But today I found a story about sixth-grader Karl Biesler who’s waiting for a heart transplant. Karl has restrictive cardiomyopathy in which the heart muscles are too stiff to allow for the heart chambers to fill properly and leads to inefficient pumping of blood. Their boy [Karl], who turned 12 on Sunday, still attends school at Pioneer Elementary in Arlington, although he can’t be too active or take physical education classes. […]
A Hearty Life » Grand Rounds Vol 2 (35) at Parallel Universes
May 23, 2006 at 9:50 am
[…] Dr. Emer is hosting this week’s Grand Rounds Vol 2 (35) in a medical journal format many of us are familiar with. Given the frequent mentions I’ve made over the past month about heart transplants, I thought this post at Shoe Money Tonight about organ donation was especially meaningful. (Although the mention of using organs from people who died of cardiac arrest won’t be quite as helpful to some of the patients we’re concerned with here.) […]
A Hearty Life » University of Montana Women’s Golf Coach Joanne Steele Receives Heart Transplant
Sep 18, 2006 at 4:34 pm
[…] Back in May, I wrote about University of Montana women’s golf coach Joanne Steele who suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and was on the heart transplant list. I’m excited to report that she received a heart transplant yesterday! […]
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