Latoya Johnson Keelen, PhD

We see them in the news about everything from peanut butter to heart pumps – RECALLS! Recalls protect us from bad or outdated products. In the United States, most people...

Sometimes, people with heart failure face the decision of being listed for a transplant. However, not everyone qualifies for a heart transplant. Having high antibody levels (also called highly sensitized)...

Advocacy was not the first thing that came to my mind following my diagnosis of end-stage heart failure. In fact, it was probably the furthest thing from it. However, advocacy...

People tend to view religion and science as opposing forces. If something is rooted in religion, it can be scientific. If something is proven scientifically, then it cannot be the...

Heart disease touches us all in different ways. We are either the patient battling it or know someone who has it. Some people struggle with the disease daily, while others...

Unconditional love is something that most people want to believe exists, especially when facing a chronic medical condition like heart failure. Why? Ideally, unconditional mental, emotional, and/or physical support comes...

Having an extended hospital stay is a common shared experience for heart failure patients. Some loved ones will rush by your side, but others will never show up. When people...

At the end of February 2021, I had the misfortune of experiencing pump failure. That’s right. My “lifesaving” heart pump, known as a left ventricular assistance device (LVAD), failed to...

The impact of heart failure goes beyond the patient and the caregiver. If the patient is a parent, their children are also affected. How it affects them depends on a few...

In the world of social media, there are groups for just about EVERYTHING a person could imagine. Many of these groups are recreational in nature. Fortunately, there are also those –...

Have you ever been told to go on a sodium-restricted diet? If you’ve ever been hospitalized for heart-related issues, then your answer is probably yes. If that’s the case, then...

Managing chronic health conditions often means making changes that seem restrictive. Some changes don’t seem as bad because it requires modifying a behavior, not stopping it completely. For instance, heart...

People with chronic health conditions face tough decisions before they are ready, like deciding about their career/job. Do you continue working or leave due to long-term disability? I was one...

Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s my purpose?” In the early 2000’s, there was a popular book called “The Purpose Driven Life." It’s a powerful devotional book used by millions worldwide...

Recently, thousands of patients with left ventricular assistance devices (LVAD), or heart pumps, received the news that their implanted device underwent a mandatory FDA recall. What the what?! That’s right...

Welcome to the Heart-Failure.net Meet Your Moderators series! These articles are intended to help our community members better know the people who moderate on our various channels. Heart failure plays...

No one likes to think about death – much less their own. When you have a chronic condition, like heart failure, making plans about your health care should also include...

Whether you know it or not, problems with your heart affect your sex life. Think about it! Every part of your body requires blood flow – even the parts down below...

Intimacy is about creating a genuine connection. It can be intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Managing intimate relationships is a common problem for heart failure patients. This is especially true...

One of the things I hate the most about going to a new doctor is filling out the family medical history form. Admittedly, I used to think that this was...