Faith from the heart

When I was 35, I would get tired all the time. Whenever it happened, I would wait for the feeling to pass, even if that meant I had to pull over while I was driving and take a quick nap. During a routine checkup, I told the doctor I struggled with exhaustion. She checked my heart and blood pressure, discovering I had a low heart rate. She sent me for an EKG, and they immediately sent me to the hospital. During the 72-hour monitoring period, I had to lie down 14 times, because I was fatigued. I was diagnosed with a slow heartbeat.

All I could do was pray and hope that when I had my appointment a few weeks later with a top heart specialist, my report would have good news. I shared the story with my church, and we all prayed. This was a year after my sister had to get open heart surgery, and I cried a lot thinking that I would have to go through the same thing my sister did.

When the day came for my appointment with the specialist, he said, “With all of these symptoms, you will need a pacemaker, but you are very young, and I want to see you again in a year.”

Two months later, I was no longer feeling symptoms. My heart rate is steady, and I don’t get tired anymore. My checkup confirmed that my heart rate was normal and I didn’t need a pacemaker after all. I have never had heart issues again.

—Yamile McBride, 41, educator, North Carolina


Robert,
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