I am a 42-year-old mother of 7- and 8-year-olds. I was 7 when my dad died of a heart attack. I've always been nervous I would die when one of my kids was young, and here we are! What was a routine valve repair that went great, turned into my heart giving up on me, my family, and friends. All I remember was this beautiful blonde angel standing over me doing compressions, and to her, all was black. After about 5 days on ECMO, everyone was very unsure I would make it. Well, I did! Lindsay checked on me every day, even when I wasn't her patient and even when I went to the step-down unit. We made a special connection I'll never forget. She stayed right by my side.