Woman Warrior Project- Jana Morrelli, the Road to a NEW Heart

I am excited to announce a new project in the works. It is called The Woman Warrior Project and the goal is to showcase inspiring women around the PNW who have gone through, or are going through hard times, severe health issues, domestic violence, and drug addiction. These women have either overcome or are in the process of overcoming these challenges. Meet Jana Morrelli, a 34 year old Seattle Woman. The following is written by her: "Seven years ago, I got the flu. Not the cool flu like swine flu or bird flu. No, I got the regular old flu. As it turns out, that virus attacked my heart, killing a majority of the muscle. It did as much damage as two massive heart attacks. Within three weeks I went from a totally normal newlywed to the ICU with end-stage heart failure and couldn't even hold up my head. After 11 days in intensive care, I could have gotten slightly worse and died but luckily I got slightly better and lived.

Over the next six years I worked with an amazing medical team to hone medication and therapies and rehab my heart. Though my heart never truly recovered, I learned to live with my new normal and make a great life for myself. My husband Nick and I got to travel. We built friendships in our new city of Seattle. I was able to get my MBA and even began working again – in technology this time! Life was going along happily, even with some bumps in the road.

Then in the summer of 2015, I took a dive. My heart was failing badly again and I underwent open heart survey to have a pump attached to my heart to do the work for it. The pump is called an LVAD and if you ever watched Grey's Anatomy, you know all about Izzie cutting Denny's LVAD wire. Needless to say, I'm very cautious around psycho blonde doctors carrying scissors. Anyway, I digress. I recovered from surgery after a 2 month stay in the hospital and 6 months resting at home. I'll tell ya, there's only so much Judge Judy a girl can watch. And the Mesothelioma commercials! It's too much. That alone was incentive enough to get back to real life.

I'm now tackling my next big goal. When I got the LVAD, doctors wanted to put me on the heart transplant waiting list but I was over the weight threshold. PS- that sucks and no human ever wants to hear those words- you're too fat (I prefer fluffy) to get a heart. I was told to lose 55 lbs and I could be listed. Happy news- I just hit the 55lb mark last week! The doctors want me to lose a bit more just to be safe, but I'm close!

After I go on the heart transplant waiting list, I could wait a year or longer for a donor heart. As grateful as I am to have the LVAD, I desperately want a new heart. That gift of life will give me a chance to live the life I've always hoped for. A life where I'm not on a first name basis with the ER staff, a life where Nick and I could consider a having a family, a life where I dare to dream beyond the next 12 months. It's going to be hard to process the idea of having a donor heart inside me. But that donor will be the biggest hero I'll ever encounter in my life and I will be forever grateful to their family that chose to help another family on the worst day of their lives. It's a wild club to be part of, but to receive that kind of a gift is a utterly unique human experience I'm not going to take for granted.

If you'd like to keep up with the story, feel free to follow my Facebook page: Jana's Heart Shenanigans" Hi res--> http://ambermaephotography.wix.com/adventure