My Story
I was born with mild aortic stenosis, which is an abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve.
If the aortic valve becomes narrower than usual, the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta is impeded and left unchecked, this can lead to heart failure.
In December 2003, at the age of 29 and after completing my third year of competitive natural bodybuilding, I went for my routine yearly check up with my cardiologist. I had been feeling quite fatigued for a few months but put it down to my high intensity three hour per day training schedule. After my tests, I received a phone call from my GP saying I needed to see my cardiologist straight away and not do anything strenuous as my tests had indicated something seriously wrong.
Sitting in front of the cardiologist with my coach Andrew Ivey, I knew I would need open heart surgery and was thinking this could not be coming at a worse time as I was more than half way towards my five year goal of winning a World Figure Title. I was also due to get married in two months and had a wonderful honeymoon planned.
When my cardiologist broke the news that I would require urgent open heart surgery as my heart was severely enlarged, he said I would need to replace my aortic valve with a mechanical version. He also said I would no longer be able to train or even compete with any intensity and starting a family would be quite risky and not recommended due to medication I would require for the rest of my life.
During the month-long wait for my surgery, I became very depressed and withdrawn. I was not sleeping well, my heart was racing and I was becoming more breathless every day.
I searched the internet for days for alternatives to valve replacements or new techniques that had been developed. After four days I found a Melbourne doctor who had been performing a new surgery called the Ross Procedure, where the aortic valve is replaced with my own pulmonary valve and a human donor pulmonary valve is inserted into the pulmonary position. I contacted the Melbourne doctor and discussed my prognosis.
He said I did not need to have a mechanical valve and that the Ross procedure would be better suited to a young female of child bearing years, especially as I was an athlete in my prime. While the Ross procedure came with a few more surgical risks, the outcome post-surgery would be far better for me than a mechanical valve. With the Ross procedure, I would be able to return to full training, have a family and only need to take one aspirin a day.
Before flying to the other side of Australia for the Ross procedure surgery, I reset my goals. I took these goals and a competition photo of me winning an Australian figure title and put them next to my hospital bed. I asked my mum to ensure these things were transferred to my bed in the intensive care unit as these were the first things I wanted to see when I woke up, even though the my doctors, nurses and my physiotherapist were critical of this.
After my two-week recovery, I was able to fly home to WA where within days I was at the gym doing my physiotherapy stretches. I decided to do them there as this was all part of my healing for body and mind. It was the beginning of my journey back to peak physical condition.
I went from not being able to open a bottle of water to competing at my first bodybuilding show the following year, where I won the INBA All Womens Natural Body Building Tall Class Figure Title.
Photo Courtesy Dallas Olsen Photography
I went on to win the INBA Australian Intermediate Figure Class Title three months later. I then flew to Las Vegas for the INBA Olympia World Title alone as my husband could not afford to come with me. I won a silver medal! I was ecstatic and I learnt even more about myself and how much you really can achieve if you plan and believe in yourself.
Two months after winning the World Title I fell pregnant. I now have a healthy baby girl – Sierra Skye. I began to rebuil my body after pregnancy in 2008, and in 2009 I won the Australian IFBB Figure Elite Title, the WFF Southern Hemisphere Title, and came 2nd in the Superbody class at the WFF World Titles in Germany.
My goal now is to educate, motivate and inspire even one person to reach for the sky. I believe anyone can achieve anything with their health and fitness if they want it bad enough.
