At just 34, South Park resident Jessica is savoring every special moment that comes from being a mom of five young children while remaining forever grateful for a caring and supportive St. Clair Health team who combined their medical acumen and big hearts to pull her through a terrifying, life-threatening emergency.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be surrounded by people who care,” said Jessica, who was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest just two weeks after giving birth to her fifth child. “They kept me alive. Now with cardiac rehab, I am working on getting back to being active and doing my job.”
When she arrived at the ER, a team of experts immediately began stabilizing Jessica and diagnosed her with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a rare and potentially fatal condition where the heart’s artery walls start tearing apart. Jessica needed emergency surgery.
With St. Clair Health being home to some of the top cardiac experts in the Pittsburgh area, their expertise and collaborative approach gave Jessica’s family peace of mind as they tried to make sense of the stressful situation.
They not only reassured the family but rallied behind her in the fragile post-op days, reminding Jessica of her five beautiful children at home ranging from her newborn to a 12-year-old.
That medical expertise, combined with the caring touch, allowed Jessica to focus on getting stronger, returning to her full-time Home Depot job and, most importantly, treasuring her family.
“I may always have limits on what I can do now, but I am alive and get to see my kids grow up—that is a miracle within itself,” she said.