A hopeful six months for a heart transplant

On an ordinary day in May 2022, Norma Palacios, a makeup artist, suddenly felt out of breath and dizzy. Her vision grew blurry and her heart started to race. She then temporarily lost vision in her left eye.

Terrified, Norma, age 34, called 911 and went to Sharp Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. “I thought I would just get some medicine and go home,” she says.

Instead, Norma stayed at Sharp Memorial for two weeks and underwent several tests, including an echocardiogram, which examines the heart’s chambers and valves. She also had an X-ray, and the results showed signs of heart failure.

A shocking diagnosis

Norma was diagnosed with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects the heart's ability to adequately pump blood. Though shocked by the news, Norma recalls first feeling heart palpitations at 17, but she thought she was fine at the time.

“A regular heart’s ejection fraction — which relates to the amount of blood that the heart pumps to the rest of the body with each beat — is about 55% to 65%,” says Dr. Hirsch Mehta, a Sharp Community Medical Group cardiologist affiliated with Sharp Memorial. “Norma’s ejection fraction was only 10%.”

Norma’s treatment options included receiving a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) — which helps the heart’s bottom left chamber pump blood — or going on the national waiting list for a heart transplant.

“After careful consideration and consulting with my Sharp care team, I didn’t want to risk possibly getting sicker,” she says. “My hope was for a long-term chance of survival, which involved getting a heart transplant.”

Waiting for the gift of life

Norma was temporarily discharged from the ER with a defibrillator vest that monitored her heart. It could also jolt her with electrical treatment if she were at risk of cardiac arrest. After a few weeks, she returned to Sharp Memorial to be admitted.

There, Norma waited to receive a new heart. Due to her condition, she remained in the hospital for her Sharp care team to administer medication via IV injections.

“There were definitely times when I was sad and thinking about my mortality,” says Norma.

However, she decided not to stay dejected. Norma started documenting her experience on social media and altering her clothes to accommodate the ports that monitor her heart and deliver medication.

With the help of her mother and the Sharp care team, Norma also enjoyed a fun date with her girlfriend at Sharp Memorial’s Jade Garden.

“My nurses were so kind, and I was able to have a beautiful date with fake flowers and champagne glasses,” she says. “I’m so thankful for the support I received from my loved ones, social media and Sharp.”

A positive attitude makes a difference

Determined to make her hospital stay as positive as possible, Norma participated in Arts for Healing sessions led by board-certified art therapists to support her mental well-being.

“I didn't want to look back later at this period of my life and remember that I was sad,” she says. “I wanted to make an effort to be happy, and I’m grateful that Sharp cared not only about my physical health, but my mental health as well.”

Kristi Ortiz, RN, manager of the Cardiac Transplant and Heart Failure Program at Sharp Memorial, says seeing Norma share her story and educate viewers about her condition on social media has been inspiring. “Norma has a lot of courage, and her positive outlook is amazing,” Ortiz says.

Dr. Mehta agrees. “Norma is a pleasure to work with,” he says. “She is delightful and takes an active role in her care. I’m excited for her future.”

Norma's bright outlook helped as she waited for her heart transplant, which she received three days before Christmas in 2022. She thanks Sharp HealthCare and her heart donor for the precious gift of life.

Learn more about heart and vascular care at Sharp; get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News.

For the news media: To talk with Dr. Mehta or Kristi Ortiz about this story, contact Erica Carlson, senior public relations specialist, at erica.carlson@sharp.com.