Healing Didn’t End With the Procedure—It Started With My Story
- maryrburrell
- Aug 7, 2025
- 3 min read
This isn’t just a story about heart disease.
It’s a story about hope—and how a clinical trial saved my life and gave me a brand-new purpose.
But that purpose didn’t come overnight.
It came through heartbreak, healing, and finally being heard.
No More Options, Just a Prayer
A few years ago, I was very sick.
My heart valve wasn’t opening and closing the way it should, so blood wasn’t flowing right through my heart. I was constantly tired, swollen, short of breath—and getting worse by the day. Medications weren’t helping, and surgery wasn’t an option for me.
Eventually, my doctors told me to get my affairs in order.
I was placed in hospice care, where I stayed for two years.
That was the scariest season of my life—living with no answers and no roadmap.
When Science Became My Lifeline
Then something unexpected happened.
I was offered a spot in a clinical trial—a brand-new transcatheter valve procedure that hadn’t even been approved yet. I was one of the very first patients in the U.S. to receive it.
I didn’t know if it would work, but I said yes.
Because when you’re out of options, even the smallest thread of hope is worth holding on to. That clinical trial didn’t just save my heart—it saved my life.
Alive… But Still Not Okay
People think that once you get better, everything goes back to normal. But no one talks about what happens after.
There were no follow-up support groups.
No check-ins on my mental health.
No community of patients who had been through what I had.
I had survived something huge—but I didn’t feel understood.
That silence hit hard, and I sank into a deep depression.
I wasn’t just recovering physically—I was trying to find myself again.
It was a strange feeling… to be alive, but feel invisible.
Healing Started When I Shared My Story
What began to pull me out of that dark place was connection—and it started when I finally took a chance and shared my story.
At first, I didn’t know how people would respond.
But every time I opened up, I felt a little lighter.
And people began to reach out, saying, “Thank you… I needed to hear that.”
The more I shared, the more I healed.
My story wasn’t just mine anymore—it was a bridge for others who felt alone, confused, or afraid. I realized that storytelling wasn’t just powerful—it was transformational.
And that’s when it clicked: this needed to be something bigger.
Turning Survival Into Something Bigger
I created HeartBridge Collective (HBC) to turn my survival into something meaningful—for others and for myself.
HBC is a space where patients, care partners, engineers, and researchers come together to bridge the gap between lived experience and how care is designed.
We’re turning survival into leadership, and stories into change.
We don’t just talk—we listen. We share. We build trust.
Too often, patients are treated like an afterthought.
But at HBC, we’re leading the conversation from the very beginning.
Because this isn’t just about medical care—it’s about emotional care, too.
What We Do at HeartBridge Collective
💛 We connect people with peer mentors who “get it” because they’ve walked this road too
💛 We share real stories and lived experience
💛 We support patients before, during, and after clinical trials
💛 We help researchers and companies to truly hear the patient voice
💛 We believe lived experience matters just as much as medical knowledge
If You’re Reading This, You’re Not Alone
Whether you’re in a clinical trial, caring for a loved one, or searching for answers—you belong here.
I know what it’s like to hang your hope on something unknown.
And I know how powerful it is when someone walks that road with you.
That’s what HeartBridge Collective is all about.
Reach out—so you don’t have to walk it alone.
📢 Want to get involved or learn how to get matched with a Heart Mentor?
#HospiceSurvivor #HeartBridgeCollective #PatientVoice #TricuspidValveMiracle #LivedExperience #ClinicalTrialSurvivor #ClinicalResearchMatters #FutureOfMedicine #MentalHealthAfterSurvival #HealingThroughConnection #BuildingBridges
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