It's Survivor Series Saturday Featuring Katelyn Sumner

My fight with heart disease began long before I was even born. When I was in my mother’s womb, doctors heard a murmur in my heart and immediately knew something wasn’t right. One of her doctors even suggested she terminate the pregnancy, convinced that I wouldn’t survive. But my mother didn’t give up on me, and I was born fighting from the very start.

The moment I was born, the doctors could tell that there were more issues with my heart. I was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, and they placed an external pacemaker on me immediately due to being diagnosed with complete heart block. I wasn’t like other babies. The doctors didn’t know what to expect, but my body, my heart, and my spirit were strong. As I grew, my pacemaker was moved to my stomach, and later, as I got older, it was placed in my chest.

When I was only six months old, I had surgery to repair a septal defect, a condition called an atrioventricular canal type septal defect. Thankfully, that surgery was successful. But as I got older, my heart disease didn’t get better. Instead, due to a genetic defect, my condition progressed, and my aorta began to develop an aneurysm. By the time I was an adult, it had grown to 4.3 centimeters. This genetic defect also caused me to have multiple spleens and one of my lungs to only have two lobes instead of three.

Even as a baby, I struggled more than most. I had a feeding tube and a trachea. My feeding tube didn’t come out until I was almost seven years old. I wasn’t able to eat or breathe the way other kids did, but I fought every day to survive. Throughout my life, I’ve always had a pacemaker, and it’s been with me through every battle, every surgery, and every moment of pain.

As I got older, my heart disease became harder to manage. I learned more about my condition, and with that knowledge came more fear. It was hard to understand why my body was so fragile, why my heart wasn’t functioning like everyone else’s. The stress that came with it weighed on my family, too. They loved me, but it was hard for them to watch me go through so much. I didn’t want them to worry, but all I could do was encourage them to have faith and remind them that it would be okay. It’s in God’s hands.

In September of last year, my aneurysm was repaired with a graft, along with my hemi arch. The surgery was intense, but it brought a sense of relief. For a brief moment, I thought I might be in the clear. But due to my genetic defect, things weren’t finished yet. Later, my aortic valve tore from the graft, causing a severe bleed. Now, I am facing my fifth open-heart surgery, possibly in the next month or two, and the road ahead still feels uncertain.

As much as my battle with heart disease has taken a toll on my body and my emotions, there is one thing I’ve learned above all: never give up. There are days when it’s hard. Days when I ask myself, “Why me?” But through it all, I remind myself that it will be okay. I may not know what’s next, but I trust that I am stronger than I realize. And even on the darkest days, I hold onto the faith that God has a plan for me, a purpose that has carried me through all of this.

To anyone who’s facing a similar battle or any kind of struggle, I want you to know that it will be okay. The pain you feel now won’t last forever, and you are stronger than you think. Please don’t give up, even when it seems impossible. You are braver than you know, and every day you fight is a victory. For those of you who are caregivers—who stand by the ones who are hurting—you are just as strong. We wouldn’t have made it this far without your love and support.

I hope my story can give someone out there a little light in the darkness. If you’re struggling right now, I want you to know you’re not alone. You can do this. I can do this. And together, we’ll get through it, one day at a time.

Katelyn Sumner, 21 years old.

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