A positive outlook
Posted: March 15, 2016
Elena Mendoza Stone, OT, ’17, knows what it means to overcome obstacles and press on. An avid runner from Ann Arbor, Mich., Mendoza Stone’s love of running gave her the courage to train for a full marathon in 2012.
“During the 18-week training program, I tested my mental strength and physical stamina,” Mendoza Stone says.
She completed a half marathon and was ready for a full marathon one month later. Or so she thought. A few days after she completed the half marathon, she became dizzy.
“All of a sudden, I started to sweat, my heart raced, my hearing went, and my vision started to go,” says Mendoza Stone. “My friends raced me to urgent care and called my husband.”
Mendoza Stone always had abnormal EKGs because of what she thought, and had been tested for, was an innocent heart murmur. However, this abnormal EKG was alarming to the urgent care physician, who then sent her to the emergency room.
After three days in the hospital, Mendoza Stone was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a congenital heart disease that causes the septum of the heart muscle to thicken, which causes the ventricles to become smaller and makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body.
“For about a year after the diagnosis, I was pretty afraid to move,” Mendoza Stone says. “I got a heart rate monitor and tried some light exercise, but I was terrified and very sad.”
She was devastated by the loss of an activity that she grew to love and had become a central part of her identity. Yet simultaneously, she realized she still had all of life’s opportunities ahead of her. She could have died, but she didn’t.
Later that year, Mendoza Stone got involved with the Anthony Bates Foundation, an organization whose mission is to educate people about the early detection of HCM. She became its ambassador, sharing her story at fundraising events and participating as a volunteer at community heart screening programs. In 2014, she was named a Heart Hero by the American Heart Association. She also sang the national anthem at the Detroit half marathon held Sept. 21, 2014.
In addition, she continues to work toward her educational goals at ATSU.
“I am currently working with ATSU to determine accommodations,” says Mendoza Stone. “I have used the University’s learning enrichment services and counseling services to help manage any anxiety regarding school and my heart condition.”
Elena Mendoza Stone and her husband, Jonathan
She attributes much of her support through her journey to her husband of seven years, Jonathan.
“Jonathan never left my bedside when I was in the hospital, and he has taken care of me ever since,” Mendoza Stone says. “Without him, I would not be where I am today.”
Elected president of the Student Occupational Therapy Association by her classmates, Mendoza Stone admits adjusting to new limitations has been a difficult journey.
“I will never run again,” she says. “But, I have a positive outlook on life, belief in my abilities, and the skills and dedication to take on any challenge and set new and inspiring goals.”