Cathleen DeWitt, based in Huntington Beach, CA, has undergone what most people would consider unthinkable — she's a four-time aortic valve replacement patient, and has undergone four open-heart surgeries. In the process, she's become a fierce advocate and support system for others with similar issues.
When DeWitt recently went to visit a woman she had met online — via a heart valve surgery support group — just a few days after this woman had undergone surgery, the photo the two shared of their meeting and bond on Facebook quickly went viral. Here, the story behind the photo that has already touched so many, as told by DeWitt to LittleThings.
"I was born with congenital aortic valve defect, so I have had heart issues from the time I was young. I had my first open-heart surgery when I was in college at the age of 19. I had my second two and a half years later — I had gotten a really bad infection and they had to replace the valve again.
My third one happened when I was 33. I had an aneurysm that tore the valve apart. And my last one was last August. I call it the installment plan — they keep having to go in and fix things.
"From the time I was young I went in the direction that this wasn’t going to stop me. I wasn’t supposed to ride a bike (with my condition), but I learned to ride a bike behind my parent’s back. I tried out for cheerleading after I had my cardiologist write a letter.
My mom wanted me pulled off the squad (because she was worried about my health). I was on the swim team, too — that I was luckily allowed to do."
"(Eventually) I realized my calling was nursing. After all, I had been around nurses my whole life. I also dedicated my life to fitness, became a fitness model, preaching the value of health and taking care of yourself and your heart. I became a fitness consultant, helping people avoid heart surgery. And wrote a book about healthy living.
"Recently, I came across the Heart Valve Surgery community site because my doctor is on the community board. That’s when it just clicked with me to talk with as many people going in for surgery as I could. And that’s when I came across Connie."
"Connie was 39 years old (in need of open-heart surgery) and just completely freaked out. Who wouldn’t be? Like most people, she didn’t know anyone who had gone through this. When I had undergone my first surgery, I had been completely winging it. There was no social media, no internet forums. I remember a nurse telling me once not to worry about the pre-op massage liquid, that it feels good, and I remember thinking, 'How do you know? Have you ever been through this?'
"Because of the relationship I started forming with Connie, she decided the way to go was Cedars Sinai, where I had had my operations, because they have a reputation for helping people to really recover after heart surgery."
"Connie’s surgery was immaculate. I went to visit her in the hospital (when she was in recovery), and she gave me a big hug, and told me she had thought of me the whole time. But she was really the angel to me. She just had this aura around her, and we had this really special moment connecting. I even discovered that we share the same birthday — July 22! There is a lot connecting us and I knew I could be her wing woman.
"I told her to turn holding the spirometer (a tool to help people breath air) into a hobby. That she needed to be up and walking no matter how tough it was. And to do everything with a smile. It’s hard to explain, and it is so overused, but attitude really is everything."
"I wanted to make sure she knew that her life could be better than ever (after this experience), that this could be a brand-new beginning, and a second chance.
"I think a lot about a story of something that happened to TODAY co-host Hoda Kotb. She was on an airplane (once) when a passenger asked her about a compression sleeve she was wearing when she was recovering from breast cancer. After she told him her story, she asked that he not remember her as “that girl with cancer.” And that’s when he told her that breast cancer was as much a part of her story as anything else, and to not hog her journey."
"I have been living a private life and not really telling my story. Of course my friends and family know, but I don’t want to be a sob story, that’s not how I live. When I tell people (what I have gone through) they often tell me they never would have known. It’s strange to say this, but (after four open-heart surgeries) I don’t feel any worse for ware. Recovery has a lot to do with lifestyle, how you eat, if you workout every day, and you have to put yourself first. I am also a huge advocate for having a dog — I adopted from a shelter — and there is proof that having dogs helps lower your blood pressure."
"Keeping people off the operating table is the goal. But let’s also remember to offer hope when people need it the most. I feel so lucky to have met Connie who taught me that."
