Heather Smoot

I have lived with heart disease for most of my life. Diagnosed in my early twenties with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM), I spent years trying to manage a condition that made every heartbeat a struggle.

Everything changed at 32 weeks pregnant with my daughter, Skylar. I went into congestive heart failure and suffered a cardiac arrest, remaining clinically gone for 14 minutes. I woke up in the ICU with a pacemaker, a defibrillator, and a new perspective on life. My 30s and 40s were defined by a cycle of failing health and multiple procedures until, finally, a transplant became my only option.

In April 2024, I received the ultimate gift: a new heart. As a single mother with a daughter in college, this second chance means everything. Despite the financial and physical hurdles of my journey, I have returned to work with a renewed determination to keep moving forward and honor the gift I’ve been given.