Healing Heidy’s Heart

Hi, my name is Jayden. I’m 22 years old, and I’m the oldest of four daughters. My twin sisters, Lillianna and Gianna, are 20 and away at the University of Rhode Island, chasing their dreams. Our youngest sister, Ava, is 18 and about to graduate high school. Right now, our world is standing still.

I’m writing this with a heavy heart as my mom—our rock, our heart, our everything—fights for her life in the ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Just a few weeks ago, she was her usual self: full of life, energy, and love. She had never been seriously sick or hospitalized since having us girls. But all of that changed in an instant.

It started with abdominal pain while she was at a work training program in Virginia. She was told she had fibroids and that she was septic but when she returned home to Portsmouth, things worsened. She couldn’t eat, speak, sleep or move because of the excruciating pain she was in. Her leg swelled up. She had random fevers. She was in so much pain that my dad had to carry her from place to place. My strong, unstoppable mom… reduced to a shell of herself almost overnight.

She went to the hospital twice and was sent home both times. She tried to get appointments with specialists, but was told the soonest openings were months away. Time was something she didn’t have but we didn’t know the extent of her issues. Her pain was screaming for help no one seemed to hear.

When she finally saw her primary doctor, she was told she had a rare clotting disorder she’d been misdiagnosed with, and needed to see a hematologist urgently. But again, the appointment was weeks away. Days later, her body couldn’t take it anymore. She went back to the hospital and was finally admitted.

She was septic—again. Blood clots had formed on her liver and spleen. She was given emergency blood transfusions and started dialysis. Then came the call none of us were ready for—she was being flown to Boston. Massachusetts General Hospital became our new reality.

That’s where they found it: a blockage in her heart’s mitral valve. She was diagnosed with Endocarditis, a serious and often deadly infection of the heart.

She was intubated, with tubes in her neck, chest, and sides to remove the clots and protect her organs. I’ve never seen so many bags of IV medications hanging with multiple ports in a person. She’s receiving around-the-clock care from the best medical team. We’re taking things day by day. Some days bring glimmers of hope. Some bring tears. But through it all, she’s fighting.

And so are we.

My dad drives to Boston every single day to be by her side. He barely sleeps. He’s juggling work, hospital visits, bills, and trying to keep some sense of normalcy for us girls. I’ve never seen him this exhausted… or this heartbroken. None of us were prepared for this. Emotionally. Mentally. Or financially.

We don’t know what the road ahead looks like. We don’t know what the medical bills will total. We just know that right now, we need help. Help to ease the burden on my parents. Help to keep our family afloat while our mom fights to come back to us.

If you’re able to give anything—no matter how small—it will mean more than we can ever express. And if you can’t give, please share. Please pray. Please hold our mom in your heart.

We just want to bring her home. Whole. Healthy. Smiling again.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for loving. And thank you for helping us hold onto hope.

With all our love,

Jayden, Lillianna, Gianna, Ava & Dad