Jessica's Journal

Yesterday, my friends and I attended the Adult Congenital Heart Association's awareness walk in Austin. The organization held it at a beautiful park near the children's hospital, and the weather was both cool and sunny for the few hundred people who showed up to walk. My friends' faces are covered here for privacy, but I promise they really are smiling! 😄 All three of us in this photo each have a variation of heart disease, although I am the only one who has had a valve replacement. It feels great to support each other like this and to meet others who truly understand what it's like to live with a heart condition.

I got a call from my cardiologist yesterday evening. He said that, based on the results of a cardiac stress test I did a few weeks ago, he wants to try and get another year or two out of my current artificial valve before undergoing a replacement surgery. This news brought me a sigh of relief, knowing the procedure is further off than anticipated. At the same time, I feel a bit of dread. I am blessed with relatively good health, but how I wish my heart valve trouble could be a one-time fix rather than a lifelong companion! It is hard to always prognosticate the next surgery and the next. I know there are many who feel the same and that knowledge does bring me comfort.

In the days and weeks post-op in 2017, part of my recovery was teaching myself (with the help of Bob Ross) to paint. I find that painting is emotionally healing for me; I tend to practice more of it during difficult periods of my life. Here is one of my favorite paintings I did in the month after my surgery about 7 years ago.