Meet Your Moderators: Kimberly Connell

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 a different role in each of our moderators' lives, but our community serves as a place for all to connect and share with one another.

We are beyond grateful for the work these individuals put in to help make this the dynamic and supportive community that it is. We hope you enjoy reading their responses to our questions and learning a bit more about what drives them to help!

Interview with Kimberly

What role does heart failure play in your life?

Heart failure plays a major part in my life because it consumed my life. It was more of heart failure controlling me instead of me controlling it.

Not being able to live a normal life as a teenager really affected my mental health. It was difficult trying to cope with life as a young lady not fully understanding the changes teenagers go through on top of my condition. Now I have to try to make sense of what is heart disease and why it chose to grab hold of me.

Why did you decide to become a moderator for Heart-Failure.net?

I became a moderator because I wanted to support other women the same way I received support from women that had been through what I was going through. I want to be able to give that back. Now I realize that it's so important and necessary. You always want to relate to others and let them know they are never alone no matter how hard it gets.

What's been your favorite part of being a moderator for Heart-Failure.net?

My favorite part is the fact that I can speak life or give advice to others that have dealt with heart disease like me. Being able to express my feelings and outlook while others are being helped in the process is so rewarding. It's also nice to know that I'm not alone in what I'm going through.

What has your support system been like throughout your journey as a patient or caregiver?

As a patient, my support has been good! I have great friends that have stood by my side every step of the way. The journey was not easy but the support I had made it easier to bear it all. Sometimes I was alone and had to go through some things alone, but when I was supported it was amazing.

Anything else you want to share with our Heart-Failure.net community members?

I want members to know no matter what you going through there is light at the end of the tunnel. I know sometimes we can't see it right away but all things work together for the good in the end. We can feel so low at times but if we find the strength or see the positive in it, it sometimes helps us to cope.

Contribution to Heart-Failure.net

Kimberly has been contributing to our community for a year now. Here are a few of the articles she has shared with us:

March 1st, the Day I Received My Heart
Heart Disease and Family
Recovery
The Power of Support
Living the Dream

To read all of Kimberly's articles and hear about her journey navigating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from the young age of 17, click here.

Thank you

We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank YOU, the person reading this. While we no doubt have an amazing team here at Heart-Failure.net, it's your consistent presence and engagement that keep the momentum going. Without you, there wouldn't be much to moderate and we surely wouldn't learn as much as we do. Thank you!

As always, we'd love to hear from you. What brings you to our community? What has your heart failure journey looked like? Feel free to share with us by posting on our site's stories and forums sections.