“My story is about my visit to a Cardiology lab. After I met Dr. John Tyberg in 2018 at a Libin Cardiovascular Fundraiser, he invited me to his lab to see what they do there. It was an experience I’ll never forget. The cardiac team that day was testing how penicillin reacts to the heart of a pig – as pig hearts are very close to humans.” ~ Jacqui
Conditions: Ventricular Septal Defect – Stenosis of the Pulmonary Valve, Hole in the Septum.
Years Since First Surgery: 48
Number of Surgeries/Treatments: 6
- Age 6: Open Heart Surgery (Toronto Sick Kids Hospital)
- Age 31: Open Heart Surgery – Replacement of Pulmonary Valve with porcine valve (Mayo Clinic: Rochester, Minnesota)
- Age 39: Pacemaker Install – Foothills Hospital (first pacemaker)
- Age 45: Pacemaker Replacement – Foothills Hospital (second pacemaker)
- Age 52: Pulmonary Valve Replacement via catheter – Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (Edmonton)
- Age 54: Pacemaker Replacement – Foothills Hospital (third pacemaker)
A digital story is a short movie that blends a storyteller’s voice, carefully curated images, and music into a finished digital video between three and five minutes long. Jacqui, along with five other adults with Congenital Heart Disease, attended a 20-hour multi-day Workshop where they created their digital stories.
The workshop was organized by Common Language DST trained facilitators, Kristy Wolfe & Kristina McGuire, in partnership with Heart Beats Children’s Society of Calgary and funded by the Western Canadian Children’s Heart Network.
You can learn more about the digital storytelling workshop at https://kristywolfestories.com/2023/08/24/heart-beats-case-study/.
