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A heart warrior, beating to her own drum

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2019 (2155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Robyn Stewart is an entrepreneur with her own business. She works in the music industry, has a beautiful family and a tremendous amount of will. An asthmatic since she was small, in 2015, her shortness of breath became much more than an obstacle when playing tag with her then five-year-old son.

On insistence of her husband, she decided to make a doctor’s appointment. A stop in her busy day, but one that was necessary.

The reality was far more severe. Even though she knew she had an existing heart condition, she wasn’t prepared for the words she heard next, “You have to stop trying to conceive, your heart is failing. You need to have surgery.” As it turns out Stewart’s heart wasn’t pumping enough oxygenated blood. In fact, it was shutting down.

Back in her car, she sat and sobbed. Then drove herself home and shared the news.

At thirty-seven, she could barely walk without being winded and had no energy. If left untreated, her condition would worsen.

Six months later Stewart had open-heart surgery.

“They send you a pre-surgery package to complete and included was a document on my last wishes. Seeing that and thinking of my son was heartbreaking. But I have to say, once I met with my surgeon who was so confident that everything was going to be fine, I knew I had to have that same level of faith.”

The surgery took four hours, and after a grueling wait for her husband and family, and some minor complications, she pulled through. What’s more, she went on to have a second baby and reached out to Heart & Stroke to volunteer her time.

“As soon as we were able, we tried to resume a normal life with a five-year-old at home. A lot of people told me after surgery you’ll be perfect, which isn’t really the case, but I am so much better and so grateful to everyone who supported us on our journey,” she shared.

Certainly she is referring to the incredible care team of medical experts, but also to her parents, friends and neighbours who checked in on her, dropped off meals, or offered to lend a hand. The Reh-Fit Centre has an incredible program focused on senior care, but at 40-years-old, it wasn’t a fit for Stewart. Sadly, statistics show that women are fifty percent less likely to participate in cardiac rehabilitation than men. Stewart knew there had to be a better way to reach more women she could relate to.

“I wanted to connect with people who lived similar experiences; who are busy running families and businesses. That’s why researching women’s various needs is so necessary. I’m on board and up for whatever Heart & Stroke needs.”

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