Fourteen years ago, while 37 weeks pregnant, Rachelle Jaymeson suddenly experienced extreme nausea, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. At the ER she was put on 100% oxygen, but her vision became blurred and breathing more difficult. While on the table for a CT scan, she went into cardiac arrest and was put on life-support as physicians performed an emergency C-section delivering her son, Kieran. Diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a cardiologist implanted the Impella® heart pump to support Rachelle’s weak heart. She was transferred to a different hospital in Los Angeles and placed on the transplant list for a new heart, kidney, and liver, and was put on a circulatory support device. After several days of support, her heart began to function on its own. She returned home two months later, her own heart intact, with her new baby boy and made a full recovery within a year.

Rachelle welcomed her second son, Evan, five years after her heart event. Heart recovery has allowed Rachelle to be active. She loves participating in boot camps and being with her husband and two sons on their boat water skiing around the lake, hiking, and biking. Kieran was born with cerebral palsy which always made her focus in recovery on him. She celebrates life with her family each day. Rachelle is focused on giving hope to women who have experienced unique situations like hers.