I turned 35 this July, which is also the month I’ll be going through my first aortic surgery. I learned in June this year that my time had come to replace my aortic root. It’s something I’ve been waiting most of my life for — since I was at least 15 years old when it really became clear that I couldn’t avoid a life without aortic surgery.
I hail from the Prairies and now live in Kingston, Ontario. I come from a brood of 5 siblings, 3 of whom have Marfan Syndrome, and I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome as an infant (those eyes! those long limbs!). The three of us Marfan siblings inherited the gene from our father, who died at age 41 when his aorta ruptured. Since then, my family has tried to stay educated on aortic health and connected with the Marfan community. My brother and sister each have had prophylactic surgeries to replace their aortic roots, and now it’s my turn.
Keeping connected with people is really important to me at this time. My family doesn’t live close and visits aren’t a wise option with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was when I started thinking about how to keep my spirits up, keep connected with my friends and family, and get back to my level of pre-surgery fitness that I settled on the idea of launching a surgery recovery challenge.
I’m running my recovery challenge kind of like a baby pool or a hockey pool: I’m getting people to guess on when I’ll be able to do certain things after my surgery — things that were easy enough for me to do before surgery (though with some effort!) like walking 10,000 steps in a day. While I’m recovering, I’ll be keeping people updated on when I’m able to accomplish these activities. People get points for guessing the correct dates, and there are prizes at the end for the people with the most points. The Pilates studio where I take classes has chipped in with a prize, and all of the funds wagered are going to GADA. Anyone can play along! If you’d like to join, visit this page for details: bit.ly/3gfAxOC
To make a donation and read more click here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/lizs-post-operation-recovery-challenge-in-support-/