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Shelli’s Story

Site created on February 29, 2020

My heart story is a bit of a novel and involves not just Ben, Eden, Henry and me, but also my sister, Ami, and my parents, Olin and Barbara Ragsdale. On the morning of November 4, 1985, Ami died suddenly of heart failure while out for a jog. She was 17 years old and I was 14. We were not aware that she had a heart condition. Ami's death was a complete shock. The autopsy revealed that she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We were advised that the condition was likely hereditary so I went to St. Luke's in Houston for a heart biopsy. My mother was also biopsied. Both tests confirmed that we too had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Fast forward 20 years. My mother's heart condition had become significantly worse and it was determined that she needed a heart transplant. She received her new heart on Easter Sunday of 2006 (she got the call from the transplant clinic that a heart was available while we were at church and the choir was signing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah!). The heart donor was 17 years old. Only God can orchestrate such things! My parents experienced the loss of a 17 year old child and were then blessed with the heart of a 17 year old child. They had been on both sides of the equation and understood exactly what the donor family was going through.

Three years later, in 2009, my mother experienced a sudden rejection episode. She was put back on the transplant list but her prognosis was very poor. At one point her doctor told us to gather the family because she was not expected to live. By the grace of God, a donor heart became available that was a match and her transplant team made the extraordinary and rare decision to re-transplant her. She received her second new heart in August of 2009, only weeks after the rejection episode. Many of you know this, but Barbara Ragsdale is now thriving! To look at her, you would have absolutely no idea she had received not one but two heart transplants!

During my pregnancy with Eden, I started having arrhythmia issues, a symptom of cardiomyopathy. I had an ICD implanted in 2004 and a newer model implanted in 2009. My atrial fibrillation progressively worsened so I underwent a maze surgery in 2008 and cryo-ablation in 2009 to remap the electrical currents in my heart. Those surgeries stopped the a-fib but by 2017 I started developing heart failure symptoms. My cardiac function continued to deteriorate gradually and in February of 2020 it was determined that I needed a heart transplant. So, here I am, in the excellent care of the Heart Transplant Team at UTSW.

When I was growing up my dad gave us all Bible verses; this was/is mine: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). God has supplied me with compete faith in Him and the plan He has in store for me. It is immaterial whether I know the what or why of His plan. This may not be fun, but I am convinced that God is good all the time. (Thank you Larry Duggan for that saying!)

Newest Update

Journal entry by Shelli Harveson — May 17, 2023

What an incredible 2.5 years I have had post-transplant. My whole world has changed, quite literally. I can now do routine things around the house (make the bed, vacuum, move clothes from the washer to the dryer, walk up the stairs to my bedroom) as well as fun and enjoyable things (walk my dogs around my hilly neighborhood). With heart failure and transplant, it's the tiny nothings throughout the day that change so much. I can drink a cup of coffee without worrying about my fluid intake. I can eat without worrying about my sodium intake. I can walk from the parking lot to the grocery store without having to stop to catch my breath. I no longer plan my day around avoiding any kind of physical activity. Heart failure is like wearing a thick and heavy, weighted full bodysuit. You slog around wearing it day in and day out and everything you do is burdensome and difficult. Then, the gift of LIFE - the gift of FULLY LIVING! The suit comes off! It is the most amazing thing to experience. I am so grateful that I was chosen for this task and that my donor and their family decided to give the gift of life. ♥️

This Saturday, Ben, Eden, Henry and I will walk in the Southwest Transplant Alliance Hope Starts Here 5K to honor families impacted by organ donation. If you would like to contribute to my team, you can donate here: Faithful Hearts - 5K!

Read More of the journal titled "Southwest Transplant Alliance - Hope Starts Here 5k!!"

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