The MyMedWorld Story
From: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3072071
Here is an excerpt of a story written by the American Heart Association that describes the inspiration behind MyMedWorld.
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Anna Nguyen grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area unaware of a serious heart condition that she had since birth. She participated in activities such as gymnastics, ballet and dance but always had a hard time breathing and keeping up with her peers. She hid behind the bleachers in gym class while her classmates ran the mile, joining in at the last lap to cope.
It took over 30 years to diagnose the problem – a rare and serious heart defect. Anna’s left coronary artery is essentially missing. Her heart had compensated by growing a slender collateral artery right through the heart muscle. That artery was her lifeline but it only allowed a small percentage of the normal volume of blood to be pumped. The artery was in constant danger of being pinched shut by the heart muscle.
Anna was determined. She compensated for her lack of physical strength with a firm resolve and intellectual energy that would garner her top grades and numerous internships. Anna holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Neurophysiology, Physiology & Behavior, and Psychology from UC Davis, as well as a Master’s degree in Neurophysiology from San Jose State University.
It was while she was working on her Master’s degree that her symptoms worsened. She often experienced dizzy spells and fainted. She was seen at the school’s student clinic but her heart condition was not diagnosed. A friend, who is a doctor at Stanford, listened to her heart one day while they were visiting and told her that she had a very strong murmur. This prompted Anna to get a referral to a cardiologist where she was given an echocardiogram that finally diagnosed her with mild mitral valve prolapse.
Anna’s symptoms did not correlate with the diagnosis. She had sharp pains, fainting spells and very low exercise tolerance. She also started losing weight. Anna kept pushing for answers. It would be years before her missing artery was detected.
After many years of tests, switching doctors and hospitals, a catheterization finally led to her condition being discovered. She immediately underwent open-heart bypass surgery, in February 2009, but three months after the surgery the new artery failed. Her heart’s slender collateral artery is once again sustaining her.
“Right now there is not a good option for me. There is a high chance that another bypass would fail and a stent is not a solution as it would not outlive me at this age,” Anna says.
She is now awaiting a medical miracle.
Today, Anna is a 33-year-old Internet entrepreneur, a veteran of high-tech giants Yahoo!, YouTube and Google. Her story has inspired the launch of a medical social networking website, www.mymedworld.com. It began as an online journal of her medical experiences, open-heart surgery and recovery process. The site has now become a growing forum for people to share information and their feelings about medical issues. Anna has also taken up photography and began studying the violin. She is regularly monitored by her doctors, eats a healthy diet and travels when she is feeling well.
She also volunteers as a spokesperson for the American Heart Association and will serve as the Passion Speaker at the Greater Bay Area Go Red For Women Luncheon on April 30 in San Francisco.
“I want to encourage everyone to not only take charge of your heart health, but to pay attention to what your body is telling you,” Anna says. ”
