Heart disease survivor to speak at ball
Alia Horner was 21 and, like many of us, assumed she was in good health. Then she discovered she had heart disease.
It was six years ago, and during her second pregnancy, when Horner was diagnosed with Pregnancy
Induced Dilated Cardiomyopathy. This condition is defined
as deterioration in cardiac function presenting typically between the last month of pregnancy and up to five months postpartum.
Horner, of Belle Vernon, had a low ejection fraction, meaning her heart was functioning at less than 30 percent – she was in congestive heart failure. In essence, her heart muscle could not contract forcefully enough to pump adequate amounts of blood for the needs of her body’s vital organs.
Initially, Horner was in total shock.
“I was unable to wrap my mind around the fact that one day I was a young mother about to have my second child and the next day I was at risk of losing my unborn child
,” she said.
Horner successfully delivered a healthy baby girl named Olivia in the ICU at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh
. However, she and her new baby left the hospital with an uncertain future.
The past several years have been an emotional rollercoaster. Horner admits that she has her moments of doubt, but they are fewer and farther between. She still gets a twinge of panic when she feels a pain in her chest.
She continues to have limited heart function, but tries to maintain a positive outlook every day. Amazingly, with improved medications and her team of doctors and cardiologists, Horner had a successful delivery of twins just a few years later.
Horner will share her moving story with approximately 400 others at the American Heart Association’s Fayette County Heart Ball on March 19, at the Chateau Lafayette at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
The American Heart Association is the largest financial supporter of heart and stroke research, second only to the federal government and it is through their premiere fundraising event – the Heart Ball – that one can see these critical research dollars at work.
“I am grateful to the American Heart Association
for everything they do to help raise awareness and funds for the vital research necessary to help me live life to the fullest,” Horner said. “I am here because of the medical advances of the American Heart Association and dedicated people who donate their time, money and energy to those of us who need it.”
Horner said she relishes the opportunity to play a role in the American Heart Association’s efforts.
“I hope to be around when a cure is found,” she said. “I would feel doubly blessed if I was able to help in finding a cure. For a long time I was dying from my heart condition and now I can proudly say I am living with it.”
For tickets or sponsorship information, call Cindy Stirling at 724-437-2798 extension 3472 or cindy.stirling@heart.org. Also, go online to the Heart Ball website at: www.heart.org/fayettepaheartball.