So far, things have been somewhat easier and yet somehow harder than I thought.

I have been through all testing, of course, and have undergone six sessions of radiation. I have had my port placed and underwent a few sessions of intravenous chemotherapy. But I am currently in-between cycles because of some cardiac issues. I started waking up at night feeling like I’m drowning, literally.

After I suffered my heart attack in December 2020, I have had major heart issues like heart failure, cardiomyopathy damage caused to my heart muscle, and afib [atrial fibrillation] among other issues. After seeing my cardiologist, I underwent a nuclear stress test and echocardiogram showing my ejection fraction has gone down quite a bit and some major arterial hardening has occurred. Not the news I wanted.

My larengexromy partial is scheduled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville at the end of March. I am also undergoing retina surgery February 16 to hopefully preserve my left eye vision. My doctor says if I don’t, I’ll likely become completely blind in my left eye. After my retina surgery and some tweaks to my heart meds, I should be able to try chemotherapy again.

But in the meantime, that’s where I’m at: lots of challenges and lots of bumps in the road. As usual, I just take everything a minute at a time.

Written by Ginger Ortiz

To learn more about Ginger, and to read more of her stories, take a look at her interviews with Rareatives: “When Doctors Stop Listening: The Challenges of Living with Multiple Conditions” and “Fighting for Her Voice: A Rare Disease Patient Looks to the Future“