Paul Trevino: Looking Forward
Paul A. Trevino was born and raised in Corpus Christi, TX in October of 1990 with four heart defects. He relies on a pacemaker and today is healthy as can be.
When I was born, it was discovered that I was born with a birth defect. This birth defect is known as Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) which contains four heart defects presented at birth. My birth was a complicated one and it almost cost me my life as well as my mother’s.
The biggest concern was my heart was unable to separate oxygenated blood apart from deoxygenated blood. In conjunction with some other abnormalities of the heart, my heart was very ill. I was too young to operate on as a newborn and as I grew up, I was always cyanotic. My lips and my fingertips were always blue. At the age of just 2 years old, I underwent my first open heart surgery to repair the defects within my heart. The operation was successful, but it would be determined that I would require a pacemaker in order to continue on in life. At the age of seven I underwent surgery for a pacemaker replacement. At the age of fifteen, I received my third pacemaker, and I also underwent my second open heart surgery. This time, blood was leaking back into my heart, causing my heart to enlarge at an uncomfortable rate.
At the age of twenty-four, I received what is now my fourth pacemaker in which I still have implanted today. I have two leads connected to my pacemaker and implanted in my heart. One lead is connected to the right atrium and the other is connected to the right ventricle. My right atrium is 40% dependent on my pacemaker whereas my right ventricle is 100% dependent.
Today, I am thirty years old. I live a normal life. I exercise and eat healthily. I cannot participate in any contact sports but that doesn’t take away from my competitive nature. I am currently engaged and looking forward to marrying the love of my life. Thank you for taking time to read my story, I look forward to sharing my story with the world.