Two heart attacks, one heart transplant, and eleven heart surgeries later.
On Christmas Eve, just days after delivering her fourth child, Kristen Patton felt a horrible pain in her jaw. Her husband, Steve, called 9-1-1 immediately. She crashed three times before arriving at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin.
When Kristen awoke the next morning, she underwent a battery of tests which all came back normal. But before leaving the hospital, she suffered a second heart attack and was rushed into surgery.
“The doctors and nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center are angels. They loved me as if I was a member of their own family. They were honest with me, but always left the room with a piece of hope. I marvel that this many amazing people work in one building.” – Kristen
Kristen did not wake up for a month. An advanced life support machine called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), kept her alive by supporting her lungs and heart. When she returned home three months later, Kristen had an implanted Left Ventricular Device (LVAD) which would power her heart until a heart transplant donor could be found. Eleven months later Kristen underwent heart transplant surgery.
Today, she is doing exceedingly well, enjoying her family, and just completed the Transplant Games of America.