Anne Marie O'Leary Switzer❤️

Imagine being born "blue"? Face, little hands and feet all blue and not being a "smurf"?  I was that baby.  I had a congenital defect that caused me to turn blue.  However, a very clever physician named, Dr. William Mustard along with the help of the Heart and Stroke Association performed a procedure to fix my congenital heart defect so that I may live.  I went on and lived a normal life, I was a "tom boy" so street hockey became my game, so did softball and track and field.  It wasn't until I turned 16 when I started having heart problems again and from then on they worsened as I've gotten older.  However this didn't stop me! No WAY!! I went to College got my ECE, married and had three beautiful children.  Here is a snippit of what I've been through within the past several years.  I had a pace-maker put in 2013 and then became "the first" recipient of  "LVAD". Some would say I became a "pioneer" when it comes to the LVAD as there are only three others who participated and "I" was the "first".  LVAD stands for "left ventricular assist device" it is a mechanical pump that was inplanted inside my chest to help my weakened heart to pump blood.  Unlike an artificial heart, the LVAD does not replace the heart, it just helps the heart to do its job. In 2012, I was put on the donor list for a new heart and two weeks ago guess what?  I got ONE!  Please read on for my updates. Love Anne-Marie O'Leary Switzer P.S. Please sign YOUR donor cards ! Thx.