Serene Lee inherited dilated cardiomyopathy from her mother. She had to wait three years before undergoing a successful heart transplant in 2014. While she is grateful to the donors who gave her a new lease of life, she did not forget her other sources of strength, and has been paying it forward since her recovery.

“At the end, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back,” Denzel Washington, American actor, director and producer.

Two lives saved

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a hereditary condition that requires a patient to undergo surgery for a heart transplant. The challenge, though, is the sometimes long and arduous wait for the required organ.

Serene Lee and her mother both endured this condition. Her mother’s case eventually led to heart failure. Thankfully, she was able to have a successful heart transplant within a year and has been living a healthy life for the last 23 years.

In Serene’s case, the condition hit in 2011 when she experienced breathing difficulties. She was immediately fitted with a mechanical heart pump, but the long-term solution was to find the right donor for a heart transplant surgery. In the meantime, the 41-year-old joined a patient support group. It provided her with strength and support while she waited patiently for her surgery.

It eventually took place in 2014. The operation was a long procedure that required 15 units of O negative (O-) blood to help her through the surgery and subsequent recovery.

Paying it forward

Though the episode is behind her, Serene has not forgotten the emotional support and care she received from the support group. For this reason, she decided to do the same for others undergoing a similar experience.

And while social restrictions have greatly curtailed her physical patient support activities, Serene reaches out by staying connected via calls and messages.

“I am still, and will always be, a part of the patient support group,” she says.

“By encouraging the patients, I am there for them emotionally and physically, whether they are on the mechanical pump or going for a heart transplant.”

Advocating blood donation

The surgery’s success was also dependent on the blood she received from donors, and it is something Serene greatly appreciates.

“I would like to thank the organ and blood donors for extending my life. I can take care of fellow patients because of the precious gift of life they have given me,” she says.

For this reason, Serene encourages people to donate blood, especially for negative blood types that are rare and in demand.

“You never know the number of lives you can save or extend, and impact with these actions,” Serene says.

By Preethi Bashyam Sriganesh, Volunteer Writer
Copyedited by Keval Singh, Volunteer Copyeditor