Speaker: Jeanette
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Jeanette: My name is Jeanette. I'm 74 years old. I have four chil, four children, three girls and a boy. Unfortunately, I lost my husband at a very young age and I, and I also had a, my, my last daughter was, have physically challenged. I had, I raised her almost on my own after my husband passed away. And she was a great joy to me and to the rest of the family. Unfortunately, she passed away seven years ago. And since then I've just been doing my little thing until, until now. I, I used to like to do a lot of, crocheting.
Tell us about your diagnosis
Jeanette: Ok. When I fell ill with my heart attack, I was at Walmart shopping for my little girl and I just felt so sick. I, I wanted to go home but then I said, I can't make it home. Call me an ambulance I told my daughter, I said, call me an ambulance. And that's when I found out that I had heart attack symptoms at the hospital and they flew me to Sudbury right away
How has your life changed since your diagnosis?
Jeanette: And, it was when I first met Jordan, that's when the failure, the heart failure came into the picture and it floored me. I didn't think... like it I, I guess I was like anybody else. I didn't think that there's no way I was gonna have heart failure. And it took me a while. I went home. I thought about that and I sort of said, thank you mom for like giving me something else of yours before you passed.
How has Best Care impacted your life?
Jeanette: I've been so happy to know exactly what heart failure is. I'm not afraid anymore. As a matter of fact, I'm just really relaxed and knowing what's going on and knowing that this program has been, has been brought in, brought in to help people like me, to help us understand our problem and to know that it's not a death wish. Like a lot of people used to say it's, it's, it's an everyday thing. You need to live your life the way you always did and just go on.
Do you have a message for others about the Best Care program?
Jeanette: I would definitely tell people don't hesitate, don't be afraid, get on to this program. They will explain everything to you in a much better way because as far as doctors and cardiologists are concerned, they're way too busy to be able to sit you down for half an hour to an hour and explain to you exactly what it means to be, heart failure to be in heart failure. It's not a death sentence. It's not gonna kill you. You have to work at it and that's why we need these politicians in Toronto or whatever, Ottawa, whatever to come on board and to please please fund this program. You have no idea how many people will be helped by just coming onto the program and helping with the funding. Thank you.
