An Oregon mom is back in good health after nearly losing her life to a condition from COVID-19.
“Nobody would know looking at me that I experienced acute heart failure. I have scars, and the internal recovery is a lot more difficult than the physical recovery,” said Hillary Steffen.
The Salem mom of three was a healthy, active 33-year-old when she came down with COVID-19 in November 2021. At first, she had mild symptoms, but the next day was in the hospital facing the possibility of a heart transplant.
“I had no idea that somebody could talk to me about a heart transplant — my heart could be completely failing — and then have it completely recover because of the Impella. It’s mind-blowing, like, mind-blowing,” Steffen said.
Her symptoms progressed the next day. She started to throw up and her husband, a paramedic, gave her fluids — thinking she was dehydrated.
An ambulance rushed her to the emergency room, but doctors couldn’t pinpoint what was making her so sick.
Doctors immediately got to work, and she underwent surgery but there was a problem. Because she had been throwing up, she was given fluids, lots of fluid, and that was pooling around her heart.
They had to do a pericardiocentesis to drain all that fluid.
“Then they paused the procedure and called Providence St. Vincent up in Portland and asked the heart failure doctors there what they should do.”
She needed an Impella device — a heart pump.
View the full coverage: After rare and serious complication from COVID-19, Oregon mom is back in good health
