Mona Sharma

I'm like, okay, this clearly is not working. I can't remember things anymore. I'm not sleeping well. My clothes don't fit. My joints are sore. So they said, well, the next solution could be going in for a heart surgery, which was pretty major. They said that it was minor heart surgery. I don't think there's such a thing.

I'm like, okay, this clearly is not working. I can't remember things anymore. I'm not sleeping well. My clothes don't fit. My joints are sore. So they said, well, the next solution could be going in for a heart surgery, which was pretty major. They said that it was minor heart surgery. I don't think there's such a thing.

Yeah. Like it's anyways, minor heart surgery, but it's to do something called an ablation where they burn off this electrical valve within my heart for a condition that I had, which was called atrial tachycardia. So I said yes. So 24 years old, going for my first heart surgery, and I was awake for the whole thing. You see your heart on a massive screen.

Yeah. Like it's anyways, minor heart surgery, but it's to do something called an ablation where they burn off this electrical valve within my heart for a condition that I had, which was called atrial tachycardia. So I said yes. So 24 years old, going for my first heart surgery, and I was awake for the whole thing. You see your heart on a massive screen.

A wire goes through your neck and through your groin. These wires go through in every area. They induce you with caffeine, adrenaline, all these uppers to try to induce these palpitations that I knew would only happen if I was out doing something, moving my body, bending down to pick something up, like a fast movement. Yeah. Finally, a couple hours into it, my heart palpitations started.

A wire goes through your neck and through your groin. These wires go through in every area. They induce you with caffeine, adrenaline, all these uppers to try to induce these palpitations that I knew would only happen if I was out doing something, moving my body, bending down to pick something up, like a fast movement. Yeah. Finally, a couple hours into it, my heart palpitations started.

They went off with an ablation. It feels like this fire or explosion just going off in your chest. And I thought, great, we did it. But I woke up the next morning in the hospital, same thing. Heart was pounding. Damn it. Okay, here we are again. Let's go in for a second heart surgery. Went in for the second surgery a couple months later.

They went off with an ablation. It feels like this fire or explosion just going off in your chest. And I thought, great, we did it. But I woke up the next morning in the hospital, same thing. Heart was pounding. Damn it. Okay, here we are again. Let's go in for a second heart surgery. Went in for the second surgery a couple months later.

Um, at this time, I just want everyone to know I was exercising hardcore. I was working out for like an hour, hour and a half at the gym. Um, I was on the Atkins diet, like restriction, like crazy. My girlfriends called my apartment, the house of free sugar, free carb, free fat, free this free, like I was restrictive. Right. And still my weight was going up. My anxiety was through the roof.

Um, at this time, I just want everyone to know I was exercising hardcore. I was working out for like an hour, hour and a half at the gym. Um, I was on the Atkins diet, like restriction, like crazy. My girlfriends called my apartment, the house of free sugar, free carb, free fat, free this free, like I was restrictive. Right. And still my weight was going up. My anxiety was through the roof.

I was definitely sad. I definitely had major digestive issues. I wasn't sleeping at all. My joints were sore. Like this was like, you know, just plummeting at a really fast pace. So obviously when the doctor said, second surgery, this is a solution. Let's just go do it. I was game. But in the second surgery, I remember crying, like really bawling my eyes out. Like, what the hell am I doing?

I was definitely sad. I definitely had major digestive issues. I wasn't sleeping at all. My joints were sore. Like this was like, you know, just plummeting at a really fast pace. So obviously when the doctor said, second surgery, this is a solution. Let's just go do it. I was game. But in the second surgery, I remember crying, like really bawling my eyes out. Like, what the hell am I doing?

I'm having heart surgery. I'm 24 years old. What is my life? I'm sad about a lot of things in my life that are happening. Doctors never asked me about that. They just wanted to know, well, how much McDonald's are you eating? How much are you smoking? How much are you drinking? And I wasn't necessarily doing too much of that. But I was really sad.

I'm having heart surgery. I'm 24 years old. What is my life? I'm sad about a lot of things in my life that are happening. Doctors never asked me about that. They just wanted to know, well, how much McDonald's are you eating? How much are you smoking? How much are you drinking? And I wasn't necessarily doing too much of that. But I was really sad.

And there was a lot of internal emotions that I hadn't dealt with. I was stuffing everything down. When I would drink, obviously, like many people, it was to mask something that was happening within me. Like, I don't have to think about my problems anymore. Great, let's go do that. But in the second surgery, they said, okay, well, we found another area where we can do the sublation.

And there was a lot of internal emotions that I hadn't dealt with. I was stuffing everything down. When I would drink, obviously, like many people, it was to mask something that was happening within me. Like, I don't have to think about my problems anymore. Great, let's go do that. But in the second surgery, they said, okay, well, we found another area where we can do the sublation.

If we go through with it, you might have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of your life. And honestly, Dylan, it was like one of those typical scenarios that you hear about. My life flashed before my eyes.

If we go through with it, you might have to wear a pacemaker for the rest of your life. And honestly, Dylan, it was like one of those typical scenarios that you hear about. My life flashed before my eyes.

I imagined what it would be like to be on medication, identifying as somebody who had a heart condition for the rest of my life, on top of having this, you know, battery pack come through my skin forever, right? Yeah. No way. Like, this is not my life. This is not happening. This cannot be my future. And the irony with all of this, as I shared with you, my upbringing was very different.

I imagined what it would be like to be on medication, identifying as somebody who had a heart condition for the rest of my life, on top of having this, you know, battery pack come through my skin forever, right? Yeah. No way. Like, this is not my life. This is not happening. This cannot be my future. And the irony with all of this, as I shared with you, my upbringing was very different.