HEART
ORGANS – HEART
PATIENT STORY : 20-YEAR-OLD CHRONICLES HEART-LUNG TRANSPLANT JOURNEY ON TIKTOK
Jessica Hernandez
Many young adults create TikTok videos , but Jessica Hernandez may be the only 20-year-old who has used the social media platform to document her heart-lung transplant journey .
Jessica , whose TikTok handle is @ im _ jess _ kidding _, posted her first videos from the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) in October 2021 . That ’ s when she revealed to her 14,000 followers that she had genetic pulmonary hypertension – high blood pressure in the arteries of her lungs – and was on the waitlist for a heartlung transplant .
That was a significant milestone in an ordeal that had begun nine months earlier . “ I worked packaging pet treats for a dog food company , and one day I fainted and threw up ,” she says . “ I brushed it off because I ’ d never had any health issues .”
But over the next two months , new symptoms cropped up . Jessica developed a persistent cough , swollen legs , and abdominal pain . She vomited at least three times a day . One local doctor thought she might have diabetes , while another suggested that Jessica ’ s gallbladder was the culprit . In July 2021 , she was on the operating table for gallbladder removal when her blood pressure bottomed out . The gallbladder diagnosis was shelved . After undergoing an echocardiogram and learning that the right side of her heart was enlarged , Jessica was referred to UAB for an MRI scan .
But before she could receive the MRI , Jessica had a late-night scare that sent her to the emergency room . “ My heart was going crazy pumping so fast ,” she says . An EKG revealed an atrial flutter , a condition where the heart ’ s upper chambers beat too rapidly and cause an abnormal heart rhythm . “ I couldn ’ t breathe and completely blacked out ,” Jessica recalls .
Struggles , Fears , and Longing Once Jessica arrived at UAB , the medical team inserted a heart catheter through her neck . “ They left the tubing in my neck to measure my pressure over three days ,” she says . “ I had to stay in bed the entire time in the same position .” Her doctors prescribed an increasing dose of treprostinil , hoping that the intravenous drug would treat Jessica ’ s pulmonary hypertension so that she could avoid a transplant . Unfortunately , that wasn ’ t in the cards .
Throughout her initial two-month CTI stay , Jessica ’ s TikTok videos recounted her struggles , fears , and longing for her parents and three younger siblings : Silvia , Guadalupe , and Jesus . But those videos also celebrated her bond with her older sister , 24-year-old Juana , who could be seen at Jessica ’ s side dancing in her hospital room , across the table assembling a jigsaw puzzle , and encouraging Jessica from the other side of the room .
The medication stabilized her condition to the extent that Jessica and Juana could return home for Thanksgiving . That stretched into Christmas , New Year ’ s , and Valentine ’ s Day as Jessica continued the long wait for donor organs to become available .
Getting the Call When the call finally came on Feb . 21 , 2022 , Jessica and Juana packed for the two-hour drive to UAB . “ They told me one person was ahead of me and two were behind me in line for the organs ,” Jessica says . “ Deep down , though , I knew it was going to be me .”
32 UAB CTI Report