Heart Patient Overcomes The Odds
WARSAW — Growing up, Shannin Lowe, Warsaw, did not know she was only expected to live to age 12.
“And here I am,” she said. “I just turned 35 in January.”
Lowe was born with a congenital heart defect called transposition of the grand arteries. That means her two main arteries were switched. The one that was supposed to conduct oxygen to her heart was, instead, conducting blood and vice versa. She is also missing a blood vessel.
At 3 months old, Lowe had her first heart surgery. At age 9, she had her first open-heart procedure, known as a fontain, to correct the flow of blood and oxygen to her heart.
Doctors told her parents that, if she lived to age 12, that would be a good, long life for her. However, Lowe’s parents chose not to pass that information along to her.
“It was normal for me. I was living a normal life,” she said. “I just couldn’t run and keep up with my brothers because I would get winded really easily.”
In all, Lowe has had 16 surgeries. Seven were on her back due to congenital scoliosis. The rest have been for her heart. Still, Lowe did not let anything keep her from pursuing her dreams.
“Already knowing I had back problems, I was still a cheerleader and gymnast in school,” she said. “I knew I get winded easily but I also didn’t want it to hold me back. I didn’t know how to live any other way.”
It was not until she was a nursing student writing a paper on her heart condition that she discovered she had outlived her maximum life expectancy. When she asked her parents about it, they said they knew but had not told her.
Lowe is grateful to her parents for not telling her she had a limit. She feels that not knowing the odds contributed to helping her beat those odds.
“I think with them not telling me about the life expectancy, I didn’t have an age to dread,” she said.
According to Lowe, one in 100 people diagnosed with CHD survive. “It’s the leading cause of death in America,” she said.
Eventually, Lowe outgrew her fontain. Several months ago, she underwent a reverse procedure. Doctors also implanted wiring for a pacemaker, which Lowe will eventually need.
“So, I’m looking at at least another surgery to get a pacemaker,” she said. “But time will tell when.”
While Lowe does not personally know anyone else with her particular condition, she has joined a support group on Facebook for females with CHD.
“That’s where I found a tremendous amount of help,” she said. “People are going through it with me.”
Prior to going into congestive heart failure in 2012, Lowe worked as a home care and hospice nurse. For now, doctors have told her not to work, but she looks forward to the day when she can return to the job she loves.
“Having these conditions, that’s all I wanted to be was a nurse,” she said.
For now, her goal is to raise as much awareness as she can of CHD. She encourages anyone going through it, or who knows someone who is, to do research and find support.
“You can google ACHD. They give you lots of links,” she said. “They’ll set you up with chat rooms and groups and hopefully you can find someone local who has been through your situation.”