Alecia has many hobbies she enjoys with her family, including boating and traveling. In addition, she has spent much of her free time over the last decade being there for her children, like serving on their high school swim and wrestling boards.
“I found out I was sick when they were 4 and 6 years old, so I’ve tried to spend as much time with them as I can,” says Alecia.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension 13 years ago. Despite a challenging journey, she has been determined to improve her health and live life to the fullest with her family.
Journey to the UPMC Lung Transplant Program
Before her pulmonary hypertension diagnosis, Alecia was first diagnosed with asthma a few years beforehand. Her doctors at the time prescribed inhalers, but they didn’t help her symptoms. Alecia couldn’t walk down the hall without getting out of breath and feeling like she was going to faint.
However, as a single mom of two who was also working full time, she had little time to focus on her health.
“I was entirely too busy to care at that point. Then, in 2010, my mom died very suddenly at the age of 45 from a brain aneurysm. At that point, I wanted to figure out what was going on with me.”
She went back to her doctor and asked to have some additional tests done, which included routine heart testing.
“My doctor thought I was silly and that nothing was wrong with me. But when I ended up getting the tests done, they wouldn’t let me use the treadmill because they said I would die.”
That’s when Alecia received her pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis. PH is high blood pressure in the lung’s blood vessels. The condition makes the heart work harder and causes various symptoms, including:
- Shortness of breath with exertion
- Lightheadedness
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Passing out
- Inability to lie flat without being short of breath
- Swelling of the ankles or abdomen
Alecia was referred to UPMC for comprehensive, specialized treatment.
‘Keeping it Light’ Through the Fight
Alecia was first referred to the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. The team treated her with medical and oxygen therapy until her condition progressed and she needed more advanced care.
After beginning treatment at the Heart and Vascular Institute, Alecia needed something to keep her active and busy. That’s when she started Pilates, a type of low-impact exercise that is aimed at strengthening muscles and improving flexibility and mobility.
“I needed it for my stress; I was in my 20s trying to figure myself out,” Alecia says. “I worked out with supplemental oxygen – I didn’t let anything stop me. And it was the best thing I ever did for myself.”
Alecia continued with medical and oxygen therapy until April 2018. She was hospitalized after experiencing flu like symptoms that only worsened. The day after getting to the hospital, she was in the intensive care unit and required extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
ECMO is a machine that supports the lungs by providing oxygen to the blood. At this point, experts at the UPMC Lung Transplant Program listed Alecia on the national transplant waiting list.
Alecia spent her birthday in the hospital. “It was a bit scary,” she says. “But the team was determined to find me new lungs. They were just as determined to keep me alive as I was to stay alive.”
Yet Alecia always tries to “keep it light.”
“When you live with something that could possibly kill you for as long as I did, your personality changes just a little. The way you look at life and how you live it changes.”
Throughout her time in the hospital, Alecia tried to keep her family, friends, and hobbies that she’s passionate about in mind. “If I didn’t have my kids, I don’t know that I would’ve fought the way I fought throughout all of this.”
She told her doctors she just wanted to watch both her kids graduate high school. After 11 days on ECMO and in intensive care, that dream became a reality.
The first set of lungs that became available for her resulted in a dry run, which means they couldn’t be transplanted to Alecia due to a complication. The dry run happened on her 36th birthday.
“I was a little let down and frustrated, but then we found out there was another set of donor lungs for me. It was obviously the best birthday present a person could ask for.”
After receiving her lung transplant, Alecia developed pulmonary edema, which is when fluid builds up in the lungs. It’s a potentially serious complication that requires immediate medical attention. Her lung transplant team quickly treated the condition, and her recovery was smooth from that point onward.
Back Home with Family
Alecia was eager to get back home to her family. Since receiving her transplant in 2018, Alecia watched her oldest son graduate high school in 2022 and enjoyed a vacation in the Florida Keys in 2023 with her family. She even had the opportunity to go skydiving, something she always wanted to do.
“I have always wanted, and still want to, live life to the fullest knowing it can be taken away at any time. No more ‘maybe laters.’ I want to live life full steam ahead.”
In the years to come, Alecia is looking forward to watching her youngest son graduate in 2024 and traveling to Colorado and California with her kids.
They are planning to take several more trips together, including to Denver and California. She has also continued practicing Pilates.
Alecia’s thankful for the care she received at the UPMC Lung Transplant Program.
“I can’t say enough good things about everyone who treated me at UPMC. The doctors, the nurses – down to the team in the cafeteria. There are very few people who I can say anything but amazing things about.”
Alecia’s treatment and results may not be representative of similar cases.
