On November 22, 2022, Bri had open-heart surgery for a congenital heart defect that we discovered when she was 21 years old. This heart defect is called an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery. The University of Minnesota performed this open-heart surgery, known as an unroofing procedure.
Nine months post-op (August 2023), Bri became very sick with pneumonia, which collapsed both lungs (pleural effusion) and spread to her heart. This caused pericarditis (an infection around the heart) and a pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart). In the last 12 months, she has dealt with eight different types of steroids, six of them long-term; five antibiotics; steroid shots; steroid tapers; 13 other medications to keep her heart and other organs healthy; over 10 emergency room visits; multiple hospital admissions; three cardiac MRIs; seven heart/lung CT scans; hundreds of blood draws; five pericardial effusions; three collapsed lungs; and constant pericarditis. Her kidneys have also been affected, leading to kidney injuries and the possibility of dialysis.
She is now battling heart failure, ventricular tachycardia, a congenital heart defect, and constriction and thickening of the pericardium, which have caused permanent damage to her heart. On September 18, 2024, Bri underwent another open-heart surgery at Mayo Clinic. They performed a pericardiectomy, completely removing the pericardium—the sac that surrounds and protects the heart. The surgery was long but successful.
However, after surgery, Bri hemorrhaged from the femoral line in the ICU, had a reaction to the wound vac and adhesives, and two of the four chest tubes fell out. These had to be emergently reinserted while she was awake. After a week in the hospital, Bri went home, initially doing well. Unfortunately, her incision ruptured open a week later due to an allergic reaction to the internal sutures.
Recovery has been incredibly challenging. Bri has started blood-loss infusions, visits the wound clinic weekly, meets with Mayo Clinic every week, and is currently on hold for rehab due to ongoing complications. Despite everything, we are trying to stay optimistic.
#BriStrong ♥️
