Mother of three Rochelle Johnson is the picture of calm. She is relaxed and her voice is laced with mixed emotions when talking about her journey with congestive heart failure.
Rochelle’s path to a healthy heart has included some stumbles. But Methodist’s Charity Care Program and her team of physicians, nurses, and research scientists have helped her find a way to return to a normal life. Before undergoing heart transplant surgery, her life was interrupted by constant hospital emergency room visits and short-term stays. Rochelle had developed postpartum cardiomyopathy, a condition that can occur in pregnant women, which severely weakened her heart.
After more than two years of medical treatment, Rochelle received an LVAD device, a pump that kept her heart beating while she waited for a transplant. In September 2009, Rochelle got that second chance at life—a successful transplant that revived her fighting spirit.
Rochelle has since returned home to her family. She will be closely monitored to ensure her heart remains strong and healthy.
