Aortic Hope Welcomes Clinical Liaison Darlene Hepler

🎉Join Aortic Hope in welcoming Darlene Hepler to the team. Darlene is a caregiver but also a nurse whose perspective is quite valuable. Darlene will be a Clinical Liaison representing Aortic Hope within the medical community and assisting to bring awareness of our resources to medical staff.

"My name is Darlene Hepler, and I am the wife of a thoracic aortic aneurysm dissection survivor. As a Registered Nursing I currently work teaching for a local university as a faculty member in the nursing program. I obtained my associate degree in nursing in 1992, and after having my 5 children (my children are now grown, 4 girls and 1 boy, all of which have also gained healthcare love from their mother) I returned to school to obtain my bachelor's degree and then master’s degree in nursing education. I was awarded my master’s degree in 16 months (usually a 3-5 year program) while raising my kids, going to their sporting and school events, as well as working several jobs. I am currently working on my doctoral degree in nursing education. I was born and raised in Williamsport Pennsylvania (home of little league baseball) which is also where I reside currently.

During my early years in nursing, I worked in a cardiac step-down unit caring for postoperative open-heart patients (not knowing at that time how my life would eventually come full circle and bring me back to my first love of cardiology.) some other areas that I have worked have been maternal child, home care and hospice, office nurse, and management in a family practice residency that is where my love for education came from.

Since my husband’s dissection in November of 2021, I have realized how much education is lacking not only our nurses, but especially with our patients and families. We were even taught in nursing school that you will never see this. This is now my passion to make a change in these areas, and my project for my doctoral program.

I love to travel to the beach as well as camping, and we are currently planning a month-long trip to see our daughter in Montana. "

Let's welcome Darlene❤️