Immediately, both tests were done but I was told that the ECG result will be out in four days. I pleaded with the lady thus “Aunty, my life is threatened. I can’t breathe, are you sure I will be alive in four days?” With the tears in my eyes, she had compassion and promised to see that the results are delivered in two days and truly she kept to her word.

I got the result, took it to the doctor and I received the shock of my life.
Doctor: My dear, what is wrong with you is not something paracetamol and prednisone can solve. From your results here, you have hyperinflated lungs and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Me: Ah! Sir, I don’t understand. Which one is that?
Doctor: You have air in your lungs and left heart failure

Immediately my world came crumbling before my eyes, where do I go from there? Why me? Is this how I am going to leave my kids behind? Who will take care of them? Immediately I broke down in tears and the doctor assured me that it is nothing to worry about that everything will be fine.

Then the journey began from FMC Umuahia where I spent November 2019 to January 2020 at the Emergency ward, then the Lockdown came and I was referred to another private clinic, from there to another private clinic, then back to Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH).

I can remember in one of the visits—I go for a checkup every Wednesday of the week— the cardiologist that was handling me for that particular day said to me “My dear, you are too young to manage a heart. Had it been you are advanced in age, it would have been a different story but you are still very much young, imagine managing a heart from your 30’s. I would suggest a heart transplant unless you want to be on drugs for the rest of your life and it’s not promised”.
But I looked him in the face and asked “Is it the donor’s heart that won’t later fail? My God does not fail”. He was shocked at my response and continued with the prescription.