A South Florida woman thought she was doing everything right to stay healthy when her heart suddenly began to fail.
At 39 years old, Migdalia Rodriguez needed a transplant to survive.
“Never in a million years did I think being healthy, fit, eating healthy, just living a healthy lifestyle would lead to something this aggressive?” she said.
Rodriguez was struggling to breathe, could barely walk, and was gaining weight rapidly.
“It was so intense that that’s what made me go to the hospital,” she said. “And by the time I got there, it was too far gone.”
Doctors at Cleveland Clinic discovered congestive heart failure with her heart functioning at just 10%. What she did not realize was that her heart had already been compromised at 17 years old. She thought it was asthma. The symptoms did not surface again until decades later.
“We first met, and within three months, it was clear that the medicines would only be able to do so much, and she had to go on the transplant waitlist,” Rodriguez said. “At this point, I was trying to be hopeful that I would get a heart, but I was also preparing myself. If my life is done, what am I supposed to do?”
And then she got a match. Within two months, doctors at Cleveland Clinic found a donor heart.
She documented her first breath with her new heart in her once-failing body.
Rodriguez now shares her healing openly on social media, and millions are watching.
“The main message I want to give is hope,” she said. “That you are not alone in the fear of being diagnosed with heart failure or having a loved one diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.”
She is now moving stronger than ever, advocating for heart health and running 5Ks. The heart that once failed her now fuels her.
Rodriguez knows nothing about her heart donor. She wrote the family a letter and hopes to hear back someday, but understands the delicacy of the situation.
Cleveland Clinic says becoming an organ donor is simple, and you can do it right through your MyChart.