Surviving heart disease- MY TV DEBUT

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Surviving heart disease

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - This month is National Heart Health Month.

Doctors say heart disease has been labeled the number one killer in America, even killing more women than men.

May 6, 2010, it was an intense two hour tennis match at Tom Brown Park.

"We were in a nice, long, tough match," said Russ Marsh.

His tennis partner that day happened to be an emergency room doctor.

"The last thing that I remembered was tossing the ball up and raising my racket," said Marsh.

Suddenly, Marsh was being rushed to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

"They were basically preparing everybody for the worst."

The next moment Marsh would remember would be waking up seven days later. Marsh would later learn he suffered a heart attack.

"The artery was totally blocked," said Marsh

In a short ten-minute procedure, doctors placed a stint in the artery leading to his heart. Marsh would remain in medically induced coma for seven days.

But the heart attack itself came as a surprise to Marsh who is a relatively active and healthy individual.

Ramsey Brown says, "I got the call at 4:30 that day that they had a match for me."

Ramsey brown has been in and out of the hospital all her life.

"Right before I turned five I had my first open heart surgery."

Having been through one operation after another, including heart bypass surgery in 2006

"That bypass they took an artery out of my leg and regraffed it," said Brown.

Until September of last year when the call came, a new heart had become available.

Only in her mid-20's, Brown was having a new chance at life with a heart transplant.


"People say oh you're too young to have gone through what you have gone through," said Brown.

.
Brown says by sharing her story she hopes others will be encouraged to see if they too may be at risk.

"it's very important for people to have regular check ups with their doctors and have their heart checked," said Brown.

And with a second shot at life, those like Brown and Marsh say they're going to enjoy every moment of it.

"One of the biggest things I take out of this is that everyday you just got to enjoy it," said Marsh.

Doctors say heart disease kills more Americans each year than any other disease. And it doesn't discriminate for things like age, gender, race, or family health history.

Click here to learn more about National Heart Health Month from the American Heart Association.

Go Red For Heart Disease Day

Yesterday I was asked by Karen Chavez with BHBB if I would share my story with WTXL ABC Ch 27 news, I said SURE!!! Well last night I felt like I was back in school again. Who knows my story better then me??? NO ONE yet I found myself having a panic attack that I wouldn't remember dates and names. So I kept reading over all my documents I have kept through the years from Doctors. Anyone that knows me knows I am a talker. Public speaking on the other hand is not something I am comfortable with. Something in my heart told me I had to do this though. I need to reach out to others that may be dealing with CHD or waiting for a transplant. I know that meeting people that have gone through what I have gone through is what helped me through all of this the most. Joining Broken Hearts Of The Big Bend and meeting so many wonderful heart families was one of the best things that happened to me. It made me realize that all the struggles I have gone through in life with my heart someone else out there has or is going through worse and it makes me very THANKFUL of the life I have. My heart breaks for all the lil ones out there living with a CHD and having to have any type of surgery. They are lil heart warriors!!!! So I am sucking up my fear of public speaking and going to share my story on behalf of all my BHBB families!!

So WATCH ME TONIGHT at 11 p.m. — immediately following Barbara Walter’s special, “A Matter of Life and Death,” at 10 p.m. on your local ABC channel — I will be featured on a segment about Heart Disease.

Then join me at Broken Hearts Open House - Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week
Location: St Stephen Lutheran Church-Elca
Time: 6:00PM Tuesday, February 8th

1st Journal Article-Waiting for a new Heart

Waiting for a new Heart

Bristol woman gets a new heart in Sept. 14 transplant at Shands

(Here is the article that was on the cover of The Liberty Journal)

Bristol woman gets a new heart in Sept. 14 transplant at Shands

September 24, 2010

by Teresa Eubanks, Journal Editor


When she was admitted to Shands to begin a regime of pre-transplant medication, 27-year-old Ramsey Brown of Bristol expected to remain in Gainesville for many weeks as she waited for a donor heart.

Just seven days later, she was being rushed into surgery.

“We got a phone call about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14,” said Ramsey’s mother, Teresa Hamlin of Wilma. “They apparently just got a notice that a match became available for her blood type and size.”

By 7 p.m., she was in the operating room. “They opened her chest up and got her old heart out,” her mother said. “We were actually sitting in the waiting room at 10:30 p.m. when Ramsey’s doctor and several others came rushing by us with a cooler on wheels. I realized that must be her heart.”

An hour later, Hamlin asked for an update on her daughter’s surgery and was told the new heart was in. “They said it would be a few hours before they closed her up to be sure everything was working ok,” her mother said.

“About 1:30 a.m. they finally called us and told us everything was good,” she said. By 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Hamlin was able to see her daughter in the intensive care unit. Later that day, “The ventilator came out and she was breathing on her own.”
Earlier this week, Hamlin said, “She continues every day to get better and better. She is off all intravenous medications and taking everything orally. Everybody
says she’s doing extremely well.”

* * * * *
By Thursday morning, Ramsey was sitting up.

“They would only get me up in small increments,” Ramsey said. “It wasn’t until late Thursday afternoon that I started remembering people and staying alert.”
Although hooked up to several monitors, Ramsey has already started physical therapy. “They make use her arms, do squats, leg lifts and walk,” her mother said. “After they remove her last drainage tube, they will start letting her walk on a treadmill. It amazes me.”

This past Monday morning, Ramsey had a little time to herself, alone in her hospital room, when “It hit me,” she said. “I have a new heart. I’m very excited to see what this heart has for me.”

That day, she shared her joy on her Facebook page, telling the world, “I finally have a new strong heart! Thank you, God, and to my organ donor, for what is going to be a new and fabulous life!”

She doesn’t know who or where the heart came from, but hopes to find out by following hospital procedure, which includes submitting a letter to the donor family. If they agree, they will communicate with her. She may also meet her donor’s doctor. “The only thing we know is that one of the nurses told Ramsey the heart didn’t come from very far away,” her mother said.

After she is able to move to a hospital room, she will remain there for about a week. She will then have to stay in Gainesville for four to six weeks so doctors can do regular checks on her along with weekly biopsies of her heart to ensure its not being rejected.

She and her mother will stay at a friend’s home nine miles from the hospital. They will fill the time relaxing, walking, watching movies and plan a visit to a Butterfly Garden.

* * * * *
Only two weeks after her birth, Ramsey was diagnosed with a congestive heart defect. She wasn’t expected to live past
Ramsey is shown in the intensive care unit at Shands following last week’s heart transplant.

The age of five, but about that time she had a heart bypass following care by a doctor studying a rare type of cardiomyopathy that could be surgically improved.
That surgery allowed her to enjoy an active, healthy life. She was a cheerleader and marched with the Liberty County High School Band, playing flute. She also studied dance.

In August of 2006, a leak in a heart valve was discovered. By 2008, the left side of her heart was functioning at 25 percent. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure and the process began to get her on the list for a heart transplant.

* * * * *
Ramsey is looking forward to the day she can come home to Bristol and join her mother for the daily commute to their jobs in Tallahassee. Her future plans include finishing her last semester of college to get her bachelor’s degree in political science; then she plans to pursue her master’s. “But I kind of have taken a turn…I may want to go to nursing school,” she said. Her recent experiences “have opened my eyes,” she said. “I’ve very passionate about everything that’s happened to me. If I worked in cardiology, it would be so meaningful in my life.”

Once she’s back home, Ramsey plans to get involved in two causes: promoting blood and organ donation. “It’s so important for people to be blood donors as well as organ donors,” she said, explaining, “Even though the heart saved my life, the blood I donated made me feel so much better after the surgery.” She would like to help everyone know how important both can be.

Those who would like to communicate with Ramsey can find her on Facebook or write her at Ramsey Brown, 12905 NW Central Ave., Bristol, Florida. Her grandmother gets her mail to her regularly.

A fundraiser to help with her many expenses is planned this weekend in Bristol at Strickland’s Ace Hardware, where a chili cookoff will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 during their Third Annual Hunting Expo

Stupid Tape

Yesterday was a week since I had the ICD put in…. what a road that was. It was a little worse then I thought it would be. I wasn’t thinking I was going to have so much pain and be so sore. The 1st couple of days were not fun at all, I am not going to sugar coat it and lie to you. I took my pain meds every 4 hours to be able to not cry. I felt okay Saturday and Hali and I went to Tallahassee, Red Lobster and to see the movie, Love Letters To Juliet. It must have been too much too soon. I felt bad the whole way home and ran fever all night and the next day. Of course I would have complications to something…. TAPE!!!! My skin is so sensitive that it irritated my skin when they pulled the tape off last Wednesday and as of Sunday I had a row of blisters under the incision and 1 on top of the incision. I went to the Doctor Monday and everything was fine. The blisters are healing and the scar….. Well, the scar looks GREAT! It healed beautifully and you can barely see it. (Picture to come soon). I’m using my left arm a little, not lifting high and not picking stuff up with it. I don’t know how I am going to not fully use my left arm for 7 more weeks :( This is going to be hard. I go back to Shands May 26 to meet with Dr. Pauly for a check-up and to schedule another heart cath in the neck (swan). This will show them how my pressures are and how the ICD is working. We are going to be starting fundraisers real soon. Please look for them and any help is welcomed and greatly appreciated. I couldn’t do any of this without yall!!! If anyone would like to buy a “Ramsey Heart Warrior” bracelet let Hali Barfield, Dawn Krow or Myself know. We just got 200 more bracelets in. I want to thank everyone for their prayers, support and love! I truly appreciate it.

ICD

I'm OK!!! It took them about 3 hrs to put the ICD in and it went well. I'm on Morphine cause I'm in a lot of pain. Change of plans once they got in there, they feel the ICD may improve my heart function & keep pressures down so this means the PICC line will come out Tomorrow and I will come home with the ICD in and see if it helps and I will come back in a month for a swan cath in neck. If it doesn't then PICC line back in and start on pre-transplant medicine and status bump up to a 1B. But, it is BEST to go as long as we can on my own heart...so if ICD works it will prolong transplant. This is a good thing and we are excited to see if it works. But, I'm still listed for a heart at a status 2 and will still need a new heart transplant. Thank everyone for your prayers and support. I love you all!!!!!

STATUS 1B Here I COME!!!

I got to Shands yesterday, Monday, May 10 at 12:00. They didn't have a room ready for me so I went to ADTU (Admissions Discharge Transmission Unit) it's basically holding rooms until they can get you your room ready. I was there from 1 til 6pm. Then I went for a EKG, CT Scan and a Chest X-ray. Then I was brought to my room on 5th floor, Cardio 54 in 5448A. This is a Cardio ICU but not like the one I usually go to on the 2nd floor. This is like the step down from that one (2nd floor is a more critical ICU). I met with Oksana this morning, who is my Transplant Coordinator, she went over the plans. Today they will come and put in a PICC line. A PICC line is a IV port that will go up under the skin on my left forearm. A PICC line goes in through a major artery not a vein. The reason they dont go through a vein is so they can leave it for months and the medicine would blow a vein. Then they will start the pre-transplant medicine through the PICC line. There is 2 different types a medicine they can try. They will monitor me closely for a couple days and make sure I don't throw arrhythmia's. I will then be bumped up on the UNOS list from a Status 2 to a Status 1B. This is GREAT!!! I'm waiting now for them to come do the PICC line!!!