My name is Trina Uwineza, and I’m 34 years old. I never imagined I’d be facing a fight for my life at this age, yet these past two years have brought a reality I could have never prepared for. I’m now living with severe HFrEF (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction), mitral valve obstruction, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), chronic tachycardia, severe arrhythmias, and treatment-resistant high blood pressure. Each one of these conditions affects my heart’s ability to function, and together they have created a life-threatening situation that requires ongoing intervention and an upcoming heart rehabilitation surgery I cannot afford on my own.

Everything changed on November 8th, 2023. I woke up and went about my day just like anyone else—breakfast, work, and then a routine doctor’s appointment. I felt normal. Nothing seemed wrong. During the visit, they checked my vitals and drew blood for a standard panel of tests. I had no idea that this ordinary appointment would become the turning point of my life.

When the lab results came back, everything was out of range: severe anemia, elevated liver enzymes, and dangerously high triglycerides. My doctor ran more tests to confirm the findings, which led to more appointments, more specialists, and more unexpected results. Months later, I sat across from a cardiologist at a specialized heart failure clinic as he looked at my scans and said the words that shattered my sense of safety:

“Trina, your heart is failing.”

Hearing that at 34 felt unreal. I learned that the weakness of my heart, the damage to my mitral valve, and the structural changes in my left ventricle put me at constant risk of sudden death. Since then, my world has revolved around staying alive and trying to stabilize conditions that are complex and difficult to manage.

My care team has grown into a large network of specialists: interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, congenital heart care, rheumatology, hematology, endocrinology, cardiac imaging, and cardiac rehabilitation. Every doctor brings a piece of the puzzle, and every appointment gets us one step closer to understanding the full extent of my heart disease.

Over the past two years, I’ve undergone repeated EKGs, echocardiograms, stress tests, angiograms, cardiac catheterization, bloodwork, and countless specialist evaluations. The testing and treatments have been essential, but they’ve also created medical bills that I cannot manage given the frequency and urgency of my care. I am now preparing for a heart rehabilitation surgery that is critical to my survival—and I need help funding it.

Why I’m Asking for Help

I am raising $30,000 to cover the cost of my upcoming heart rehabilitation surgery that will take place on January 23, 2026, past cardiography diagnostic procedures and ongoing diagnostic testing, specialist visits, and the travel and medical expenses involved in managing complex heart failure. This procedure is not optional—it is necessary to improve my heart function and reduce my risk of sudden cardiac death.

Reaching out for help is not easy, but I am choosing to fight for my life, and I’m asking for support from anyone who is willing to stand with me in this battle.

How You Can Help (Call to Action)

Your generosity will directly help me access life-saving medical care. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, support my journey, and help me hold onto hope during the hardest chapter of a life I hope that will not end soon.

Thank you, from the bottom of my weak but gratitude-filled heart!