Jenn was diagnosed with
a heart condition, Long QTS,
which not only threatened
her life but also her sense
of identity.
Determined not to lose herself
to the condition, she set sail,
away from the self-imposed
doubt and limitations on a race
around the world and faced the
challenge of a lifetime.
Never before have I been so in tune
with my body and with my mind. 18
months ago I was telling a very different story.
In 2011, I was diagnosed with an
uncommon, life threatening heart
condition called Long QTS. As a fit
and active 29 year old, this news hit
me hard. I was in love with exercise,
training 5 times a week, cycling to
work and enjoying active holidays. I
thrived off all that activity and then
bang, all of a sudden it all had to
stop.
Discovering I had Long QTS was a
shock and a scare as the condition
doesn’t carry symptoms and there
is no cure. I had surgery to fit an ICD
(implantable cardiac defibrillator),
which was to be my lifeline if needed. The diagnosis and subsequent
surgery put my life on hold and I was
battling conflicting thoughts about
my situation; I knew I should feel
lucky but I didn’t. I had lost control
of my life and I was completely out
of my depth emotionally.