So here's the whole shabang: When I was born doctors heard a murmur in my chest. They immediately ran some tests and they came back showing I had a hole in my heart. This was a very tiny hole so it would just need to be monitored. Third grade comes around and they find that my mitral valve had a regurgitation. So I was never receiving the right amount of oxygen. This made me tire out easily and it was harder to enjoy sports for me. Sixth grade comes around and I'm doing great. I feel good and I'm healthy and enjoying life. We go in for our yearly checkups and on the echocardiogram (sort of like a sonogram but for your heart) they couldn't see one of my arteries. Turns out my right coronary artery was in the wrong place. Mine took a curve between two chambers of the heart. So any activity level that got my heart rate over 120 beats per minute, could cut off my artery and result in immediate death. Pretty terrifying for a 12 year old girl. So for the next years I was constantly monitored. Couldn't do any sports, couldn't go jogging, couldn't go to color runs or even play with my dog. Everything was different. Fast forward to a few months ago, I'm on a trip with my class and I end up late for my bus. I have to run or else they will literally leave you where you were. I began to run and got extremely dizzy and my chest felt as if a million knives were stabbing it. I began to cry but safely made it to the bus, in immense pain. We immediately went to see my cardiologist and he told us that open heart surgery was our only choice. So on, ironically, 9/11 of this year, I went in for open heart surgery. Took about eight hours for me to wake up afterwards. I did terrible the first three days but on the fifth day I was able to leave. It's been 6 weeks and I feel so much better already. In two weeks I can begin moderate exercise and I can finally start my journey to become an actual person and feel like I am normal. So I thought I would share this excitement and journey with you all!! I also think it's a pretty badass scar!!