Patient Testimonial: Donna Hansen

By the time I was in my early 30s, my heart was so weak that I never expected to see 50.

I’ve had type 1 diabetes since I was 8, and one of the complications was that I had a heart attack when I was 21. This was in Pennsylvania, where I grew up. They didn’t believe it was a heart attack, but the damage was done.

In 1988, I had another massive heart attack that required triple bypass surgery. I was fine for a while, but then my congestive heart failure got worse. I had angioplasty and, later, three stents. Even so, I had to sleep sitting up just so I could breathe.

Fortunately, my Johns Hopkins heart surgeon was able to give me a biventricular pacemaker using minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Today, I’m doing things I thought I’d never do again. And last year, I reached that milestone birthday.

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