The History of A Grateful Heart

My name is Kayde (Campbell) Wolf and I grew up in the wonderful town of New Braunfels, Texas. Long story short... My childhood and teenage years were perfect. I had an extremely close and loving family, the best of friends a girl could ask for and a faithful love for the Lord. I never thought any of those relationships could be stronger than they already were, but I realized just how tight Faith, Family and Friends could get when you journey through a Life Changing Experience together.

In December 2010, recently engaged to my extraordinary husband Kevin, I started experiencing trouble breathing when I was sleeping and becoming extremely tired performing the smallest of tasks. I took myself to an Urgent Care Facility, who then sent me immediately to a Cardiologist. After several tests were performed, I was diagnosed with Viral Myocarditis. What the heck is that? I thought the exact same thing. It is described as a "common" virus which would normally give someone symptoms such as the flu, but instead my immune system told it to attack my heart muscle. I found out then that my Ejection Fraction (EF) or heart function was around 18%. My Cardiologist prescribed me several medications to strengthen my heart and after an 18 month battle, my heart healed close to an EF of 56, which is well within the normal functioning range. I was so excited and relieved. I was weaned off the medication and told that I would most likely live without any further issues. I had full faith that was the case, but God had another plan for my life.

In February 2014, anxiously awaiting the birth of our son Carter, I was having a hard time breathing and extremely tired. Any "regular" person at 37 weeks into their first pregnancy would think this was totally normal, but those particular symptoms were far too familiar. It was a cold Sunday morning. The temperature was in the 20s and many roads were iced over, which is rare in Central Texas. Kevin and I made our way to the hospital carefully and called each of our families on the way to tell them  the Scary News that my heart symptoms were back and we were going in for monitoring. The day quickly took a turn for the worse when the Cardiologist explained to us that in fact my heart was failing. Heart Failure... that was a new term to us. The decision was made to take Carter by c-section as soon as they could stabilize me. He was born February 3rd at 9:07 AM. A perfectly healthy boy at 5 pounds, 10 ounces and 20 inches long. My "heart" was filled with pure joy, but in the midst of all the excitement there was still a physical heart failing that needed to be cared for. I had no doubt God was sitting right there with me and my doctors. I began taking the same medications that had healed my heart previously assuming it would send me on the same path to a normal functioning heart. My heart was beginning to heal, but the journey would become a bit more difficult than imagined.

In June 2014, I came down with a normal, every day cold. I quickly realized that my body was not fighting the cold well and the symptoms were becoming worse, including a deep cough. I went to see my family doctor for the cold and explained to him that I just felt "off". I knew it was more than just a cold and he began to run some tests. That evening I was admitted to the hospital with high fluid retention in my chest which was causing my heart to work even harder and therefore weakening it further. After several days I was released, but required to wear a "Life Vest" or external defibrillator just in case my heart weakened enough to go into an abnormal rhythm. I was also referred to a Heart Failure Specialist named Dr. Roberta Bogaev. My Cardiologist did a great job healing my heart the first time, but my case had intensified and I knew Dr. Bogaev was specifically placed in my life by God when she told me that the most important healing factor for my heart was Prayer. She is such a faithful lady and our relationship soon began to grow.

In July 2014, my symptoms were worsening even further. My appetite was non existent and I began to have nausea daily. I called Dr. Bogaev and she called me into the hospital for an invasive test called a Right Heart Catheter. This showed just how bad my heart was actually doing. The muscle was stretched and weakened so far that the valves were not closing properly. My heart was not pumping enough oxygenated blood through my body and my body was starting to compensate for that by shutting down systems such as my digestion. Hence the nausea and lack of appetite. We also found out that I have a birth defect in my heart called LV NonCompaction. Dr. Bogaev explained that this did not cause my heart problems, but that it would prevent my heart from healing itself. This proved ultimately, the only option to continue a full functioning life was begin the process of a Heart Transplant. This was the last possible though in my mind. I am not even 28 years old and I am needing a new heart. Crazy. Dr. Bogaev placed me in ICU with a continuous IV supplying the medication needed to relieve my symptoms. Several days later, on my 28th birthday, I was stable enough on the IV to go home, but it was just a matter of time until the medication quit working.

In August 2014, I began the Heart Transplant Evaluation at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Bogaev and her colleague, Dr. Simpson began running every test possible including blood work, X-rays, treadmill stress tests, etc. The evaluation process takes you through the physical, emotional and financial side of a transplant within just a couple of days. Needless to say, I was completely exhausted. Kevin, Carter, my Mom, my Dad and my brothers Chas and Clint were all there supporting me. I also had a huge "Team Kayde" behind me from my hometown, my husband's hometown and all over the state, but the most important was God's hand on the entire situation. I felt him there with every test and it gave me an overall peace of mind. After the evaluation was finished, my chart went in front of a "Transplant Board" for final evaluation. I was "Accepted" which mean that my testing proved I was a candidate for a new heart. This was the greatest news ever. I began the "Wait" process at home since I was considered stable, but only a few short weeks later my symptoms began to worsen again.

September 11th, 2014 I was admitted to St Luke's Hospital in Houston awaiting a perfect match. My body compensated as long as it could and Dr. Simpson and Dr. Bogaev decided it was time to be on full monitoring until a new heart was available. This began the new "Wait" process in the hospital.