Hello my name is Shakira. I have a congenital heart defect known as Aortic Stenosis. I have undergone three major surgeries and I was on ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) two times. A little over a year ago, My life almost ended before it even started. A major infection known as Endocarditis, attacked my heart and caused me to go into Cardiac arrest. The medical staff perform 45 mins of CPR determine for me to live and not die.
The aftermath of being on ECMO for the second time caused me to develop blood clots and have femoral nerve damage. I had to be in Occupational therapy and Physical therapy to retain what I had before my trauma. I believe that God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. After everything I went through I definitely look at life differently. There is a saying I always have to remind myself is that, ” Don’t tell god that you have a big problem, tell your problem that you have a Big God.”
“I am Embracing my scars as part of my journey in life.” -Shakira
