Born with a congenital heart problem, I was always restricted with physical activities. Growing up I couldn’t participate in gym or sports, but I did try to do the activity. As I got older I noticed that I was not able to keep up with my everyday chores. It was getting harder to walk and work. After working for a couple of years I decided to leave the workforce and collect a disability pension.

In 1990 I married the love of my life, Carmine and things were pretty good. Days turned into months and months into years and my illness was getting worse. I noticed it was getting really hard to walk and my breathing was becoming labored.

The doctor at the TGH told me that open heart surgery would not help me because my illness had severely progressed and that the only solution would be transplantation.

Never did I think that I would need both lungs and heart, because my problem was only the heart. But there I was being assessed for a double lung/heart transplant. They sent me home with a pager in hand and told me that I would have to wait, but for how long, no one knew.

I waited two long years, which seemed like an eternity. In those two years I was getting worse by the minute and I felt my body shutting down.

I was hospitalized with heart failure and after a month in hospital I asked to be discharged, reluctantly they sent me home. Once home I did nothing because it was just too hard. I got down on my knees and prayed to God that he would take my life. Instead He granted me my miracle, I was called for my life saving transplant.

After the surgery I worked hard at rehabilitating myself I wanted to do well. I exercise, walk and we go on vacations and I don’t get tired or out of breath. More importantly I don’t hear my heart beating a mile a minute.

Every since the transplant I try to live life to its fullest I thank God everyday and I bless my donor’s family for the Gift of Life!

Anna Foglia

Double Lung & Heart Transplant

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