Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought would never happen? Have you ever been told something about yourself that you didn't know? Have you ever realized something that is life changing? I can answer yes to all three of these questions. When I was seven, I learned something about myself that I never expected - something that would change my life forever.
One day, eight years ago, I had my annual regular check up with my pediatrician, just like all kids. My mom and I waited for a while in the waiting room before we got called back to see my pediatrician. My doctor came into the small room and as usual asked me a couple questions. They were the same questions he asked at every visit. The doctor then checked my eyes, my ears, and my reflexes. Then, he finally got out his stethoscope to listen to my heartbeat. After listening for a couple minutes, he asked if I had recently been sick because my heart was beating irregularly which is common when you are sick. My mom told him I had not been sick, this caused him a bit of concern. My doctor told me to come back in two weeks and he would listen to my heart again just to make sure everything was ok. .
Two weeks later, I was back in the small room in the pediatrician's office for a follow-up appointment. Once again my doctor took out his stethoscope and listened to my heartbeat. He still heard irregular beating. He said there was nothing to be too worried about, but that he was going to refer me to a pediatric cardiologist who could find out more in depth what was going on with my heart. I was then scheduled for a cardiologist appointment at the Phoenix Children's Hospital. At the appointment with the pediatric cardiologist, I was diagnosed with a heart murmur and was told I needed to return for further testing. At this point, I began to worry something was really wrong with me. .
The appointments were scheduled for further testing.