Cecy Wells was 30 years old when she delivered her third child pre-term by C-section. Throughout her life she had managed various health conditions, including Type 1 diabetes and Addison’s disease and endured a complicated 1^st pregnancy. She and her husband, Andy, adopted their second child due to the nature of her first pregnancy, yet ultimately, she became pregnant again with her third child. Two days after delivery, Cecy began experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath. She expressed concern to her team of nurses, and her physician decided to perform additional testing, ultimately revealing her heart was severely weak. 

Cecy’s breathing continued to deteriorate, and she began to panic. She remembers hearing an announcement of a rapid response over the hospital speaker, completely unaware it was for her. As medical personnel rushed into her room, Andy gave her a kiss on the head and told Cecy, “Everything will be okay.”  

Andy was informed that Cecy was in cardiogenic shock and her heart was not strong enough to endure open-heart surgery. Her physician recommended the Impella® heart pump as her only  chance of survival. Initially the team thought Cecy may have had post-partum cardiomyopathy, but once they inserted Impella® and ran a diagnostic test, they discovered significant blockages in every main artery of her heart. 

After two days of support, Cecy’s heart function had fully recovered and Impella® was removed. She remained in the hospital for a week before returning home to her family. In September, Cecy celebrated four years of heart recovery. Cecy advises women to advocate for themselves, especially when they feel something that they know is abnormal for their bodies.  She believes you need to stick up for yourself and not back down. Because of her determination, Cecy returned home with her baby and a recovered heart.

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