On Christmas Day 2015, LeToya Williams celebrated Christmas with her young family and was overjoyed. But it would be her last normal holiday. The next day, she was hospitalized with blood clots in both of her lungs and elevated levels of cardiac enzymes in her blood, a sign of heart damage.

“It was scary. I was 31 years old and my heart was beating at 180 beats per minute when I went to the hospital,” said Williams, who lives in Lansing, Michigan.

Little did she know that she was in desperate need of a new heart.

fight for life

For Williams, suffering from heart failure at such a young age was incomprehensible, but he refused to give up and was willing to do whatever it took to stay alive.

“I just thought about the kids,” she said. “I’m their mother. Of course I don’t want to leave them alone, so I told myself I had to do this. If I couldn’t do that, I fought tooth and nail.”

In early 2016, Williams was discharged from the hospital with a wearable defibrillator. Later that year, doctors implanted a device that acts as a defibrillator and pacemaker. This allowed her to function normally and she continued to work and enjoy her daily life until 2017, but then her condition worsened.

“I was at the end of my life because I was so sick at this point. A device (LVAD) can also be implanted to continue pumping blood throughout the body.”

Williams said LVADs are intended to be a bridge to heart transplantation. But because of the severity of her illness, Williams knew something had to change in order for her to qualify for a new heart.

Transferred to Michigan Health University

In 2021, Williams made the difficult choice to change providers and moved her care from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor.

“We disagreed on a lot of things regarding my care,” she said. “So I decided to go to U of M and ended up seeing one of the lead cardiologists, Dr. Keith Aaronson. I love him. I feel like I received it, I feel like I’m important to him.

Aaronson, M.D., a cardiologist at UM Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center, said Williams was ready to take charge of her health.

“When I met Leitoya and her partner, it was clear that they were both very passionate about improving her health and doing everything they could to be close to their daughter. “Leitoya is a wonderful patient and I am thrilled that her transplant went well.” Aaronson.

Williams was eventually healthy enough to become a candidate for a heart transplant in mid-July 2023.

“Of course I was very excited, and then I started wondering how long it would take and when I would get the call, because it could be days, months, or even years.”

Once on the list, she only had to wait nine days.

“I was negative at first. It had only been a week and a few days,” she said. “I was so excited and I was so touched because I had waited a long time for it to win my heart. I’m sure others have waited a long time as well, but it was an eternity for me.”

“I was just thinking about my kids. I’m their mother and of course I don’t want to leave them alone, so I told myself I have to do this and if I can’t do it, I’ll do it thoroughly.” We fought.”

–Leitoya Williams, heart transplant patient

Cardiac rehabilitation near home

LeToya’s heart journey didn’t end with the transplant surgery at University Hospital in Ann Arbor. In fact, that was just the beginning.

With a new heart beating in her chest, Williams now faces the challenge of recovery. She chose the cardiac rehabilitation team at Sparrow, part of UM Health, to gain the skills and motivation she needed to maintain a healthy heart for years to come.

“Having Cardiac Rehabilitation close to home made things a lot smoother. I live maybe six minutes from Sparrow, so it’s easy to get here,” Williams said. I did. “We already had a doctor there, so we just left the cardiac rehabilitation to Sparrow and everything went well.”

Williams said the Sparrow team holds her accountable and makes her feel heard and included.

“The team are very encouraging and communicate very well. If I have a concern, they deal with it just fine so I don’t have to stress about it,” she said. .

second chance at life

Less than a year after receiving her new heart, Williams is feeling better and excited about her life ahead. Now that you no longer need an LVAD, you can shower whenever you want and travel wherever you want without worrying about damaging your heart pump.

Williams is also currently preparing to marry his fiance. Now nearly 40, she’s preparing to go back to school to become a pharmacy technician.

For those waiting for a transplant, Williams said keeping a positive attitude is key and encourages everyone to make the most of every precious moment life has to offer.

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