Wounded Guys and Girls Tell Us the Stories Behind Their Scars

Helen

“I collapsed one day after graduating University and was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (a hole in the heart). This was later repaired by open heart surgery in 2015, leaving me with this big “zipper” and 3 chest drain scars. In October 2016, after a successful recovery I suffered an unexplained heart malfunction that caused multiple blood clots and resulted with me struggling to walk, permanent damage to several organs, a 3 week hospital stay and emergency surgery on my legs. From this I have 2 more scars where they entered the femoral arteries by my hips. I’m really proud of all of my scars, but feeling proud and accepting what has happened to my body are two separate things that have taken a while to come to terms with. All of these hurdles have made me a better person, and I refuse to let my circumstances define how I live my life. I hope that other people who may be living with heart problems, or going through similar experiences will look at me, or my scars and think “If she can get through this, then so can I.”