It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that my purpose in this life is to help people. I have been blessed with different experiences in my life, each one leading me to a deeper understanding about myself, about the life that I live and each of the different tools I had to learn to overcome adversity. For starters, I was born with a rare condition called Tetrology of Fallot which forced me to have Open Heart Surgery at 19 months old, followed by four additional heart surgeries at 7, 9 & 23, and another Open Heart Surgery when I was 28 years old to put in a Pulmonary Valve. Almost all of my surgeries happened without any problems, except my second one when I was 7 years old. Upon returning to my room, my femoral artery in my leg opened and I was an on the spot emergency. I bled out, saw the white light, and was calm after being told that “it wasn’t my time.” What saved my life, was receiving blood directly from my Dad. When I say directly, I mean directly. He was to my left and we had a tube draining his blood to fuel my body. It was this experience, at such a young age, that became the basis for my spirituality and connection to the universe. My heart condition, and everything that has been associated with it, has taught me the value of family, life, strength and support, in addition to many other things which I love educating people about and hopefully, being a light in the darkness of other peoples lives.
In 2011, I created a 501c3 organization called Imperfectly Perfect, which helps people who have Congenital Heart Disease. My goal was to not only use my life experiences to help them learn tools to navigate their own journey, but to connect with each other and help build relationships that can last a lifetime. I am a big believer that life is a little easier, when you know someone who walks in similar shoes as yours. Especially when we are discussing such a physically, emotionally and mentally draining journey such as Congenital Heart Disease.