Hi, my name is Neva and this is my story..

It all began October of 2022 when I rushed myself to the ER due to severe chest pains, weakness, feeling faint, heart racing and super high BP.. Upon arrival they took me back and started running tests and doing blood work.. What came back was nothing I would have ever expected.. I was told that I had had a heart attack. My troponin levels in my blood were elevated, my EKG came back abnormal, my D-dimer levels were elevated and so much more.. I was admitted for more testing to see if we could figure out what was causing this all to happen.. They did X-rays, Echos, a heart cath, more blood work etc and to our surprise it all mostly came back normal.. I was kept in the hospital for observation and until they were able to get everything stable and my vitals back to normal.. I was finally discharged and soon after going home it all started happening again.. I went back to the ER for all of the same reasons and was readmitted because my troponin levels had doubled since I left.. My heart was under so much stress and we still had no answers.. (Troponin is a cardiac enzyme that indicates damage being done to the heart..) The day prior to the first attack I was seen in the ER because something just felt off.. mild chest pains, cold sweats, high BP etc and I was told I had pulmonary edema.. I was given water pills and sent home and told to follow up with a cardiologist..

Fast forward to today I am still dealing with all of the same issues and have since had 2 more heart attacks, been admitted into the hospital over 25 times this year have had countless procedures. I have wracked up 100s of thousands of dollars in hospital bills.. My everyday life has been a battle and nothing has been the same. I have no energy and feel very weak all the time. Am limited on all physical activity that can exert my heart and I live every day in fear not knowing when something could strike again.. Mentally it has also been a huge struggle.. For the longest time I was turned away by several cardiologists who down played my situation because of my age. (28) and was told it was all just anxiety.. I did not back down and continued to advocate for myself until I found my now cardiologist who promised me he would get to the bottom of this and figure out what was really going on. He told me he knew it was far more serious then just anxiety.. On September 12 this year my cardiologist did another heart cath on me.. When he pulled me off the surgery table his first words were “you did great and we have the answers we’ve been praying for”.. Sadly those answers were pretty hard to swallow.. I have something rare called a Myocardial Bridge and my case is significant.. A Myocardial Bridge is when one of your hearts arteries grows into the heart muscle instead of resting over top of your heart.. My bridge is in my LAD artery which is one of the main ones.. With each pump my heart makes it is damaging itself, stopping my heart from getting the blood flow it needs and also causing blood clots, attacks and various symptoms.. The only fix for my condition is to have open heart surgery..

Because my condition is so rare I have to fly out of state from Jacksonville FL to Cleveland OH to have my surgery done. There only 17 states in the United States with heart surgeons that are able to do this procedure. I am scheduled to meet with my cardiac team and heart surgeon in Ohio for the first time on January 23, 2024 to have a series of tests and studies done on my heart before the big surgery. As of right now there is no surgery date but after this preoperative appointment it won’t be long after that I’ll have it done..

Now because of all of this I have been out of work and I am struggling.. I currently do not have the funds necessary to travel and have all of this done.. It includes $5,000 insurance deductible, airfare, hotel stays, rental cars, and then bills and necessities and anything I will need for the surgery and after the surgery while I heal.. I would also like to be able to take my mom with me so I’m not alone.. I will be down and out for quite some time after.. I am trying to get disability and social security but it has been a complete nightmare.. So any donations or shares would be GREATLY appreciated and can literally help save my life as this surgery is SO important.. I have such an amazing support team and I am so beyond thankful for the love and support I’ve been shown by the people that have been following my story and been by my side through it all.. Thank you to anyone who has read this and even says a prayer!