April 25, 2012
MEGAN HAS BEEN ASKED TO SHARE HER STORY AT THE NASHVILLE GO RED FOR WOMEN EVENT. KATHIE AND MY SISTER, SHAR, WILL BE JOINING HER AT THIS EVENT. PRAY THAT MEGAN WILL HAVE A CALMNESS AND BE ABLE TO SPEAK FROM HER HEART. THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT OUT TO ALL ATTENDEES OF THE EVENT TO INTRODUCE THEM TO THIS YEAR'S SPECIAL GUEST.------------------------------
With heartfelt appreciation,
Dawn Rudolph
2012 Go Red For Women Chair
President & CEO, Saint Thomas Hospital
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At age 15, Megan and her family were told that a virus had attacked Megan’s heart, causing serious, irreparable damage.
Little did she know how much worse it would get.
Seven years later, doctors recognized that the condition of Megan’s heart had grown dire. She was put on a transplant list. Although allowed to go home, Megan’s health continued to get much worse.
Two months later, after having surgery to be put on a bridge-to-transplant LVAD machine, Megan developed pneumonia.
Doctors told her family that even if a heart came Megan was too weak to receive it. Miraculously, an hour later, Megan’s white blood cell count came down, the fever dropped, and a heart became available. And so on April 18, 2010, Megan got a new heart.
Today, only two years after Megan’s heart transplant, she is a beautiful, vibrant, healthy young woman. She became a bride and was married this past fall, and Megan now permanently calls Nashville home.
When I met Megan, I wanted to thank her for sharing her story, for spreading the message about protecting your heart and helping people understand how important it is that we continue to fund lifesaving research to advance treatments for heart disease. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the sincerity and gratitude that she expressed to me and the American Heart Association for the very same thing.
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We are praising God for another opportunity to share HIS MIRACLE story in the life of Megan.
