Patient Stories
For advanced heart failure patients, the challenges of daily activities can outweigh the pleasures of life. Ventricular assist devices can offer new hope for patients who have exhausted other therapies. After VAD implantation, many patients return to daily life with restored blood flow and more energy. The small, streamlined design of modern VADs allows most patients to move around with few limits on life—which many patients report living to the fullest.*
Dave
"I have a good life right now and [the HeartMate] keeps me there, keeps me going, keeps me happy."
Gerald
"I've been able to do everything and more than what I expected to be able to do other than I can't swim in the pool. But that's O.K., I can live with that."
Amy
"You don't know how much you really love to live life until you are facing the possibility that it might not be there."
Doug
"My doctor knew nothing about it, even my cardiologist didn't know about it and they're both just ecstatic and wanting to learn and now they know that there's hope for their other patients."
Denise
"I'm still waiting for a heart, but thanks to the HeartMate II, I am strong and I have my life back."
Janna
"If I were talking to somebody who was trying to make the decision whether or not to get a heart pump I would definitely say to go ahead and do it."
Johnny
"My main worry was I didn't want to sit on the porch, taking pills, and not have some type of life."
Sherri
"I've had an LVAD now for six years, and six years ago, you know, they did not give me a chance."
Jake
"I can get up in the morning, ride my bicycle. I can rake the leaves and mow the lawn. I have no problems going up and down stairs."
*Please consult the Instructions for Use for indication for use, contraindications, warnings, and adverse events. Individual experiences, symptoms, situations, and circumstances may vary. Please consult your physician or qualified health provider regarding your condition and appropriate medical treatment.