At the heart of it all, there is hope.
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"One person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from heart disease. Awareness is key. By understanding your risk factors, taking steps to reduce your risk, knowing how to detect heart attacks and strokes, and living a healthy lifestyle, you can help prevent the complications of heart disease. I believe it is possible to change this... to fix this." 
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"I joined Awareness Ties because of how beautiful and critical their work is.
We are all tied together through love, common interests, and health, so if we can impact that connection, we can change the world."
I believe it is possible to change this... to fix this.
About Dela
Dela and her family emigrated to the U.S. just before her 4th birthday. Leaving behind a country in war, she grew up with a deep appreciation for her family’s dedication, hard work, and sacrifice, and was inspired to give back in some way. After losing a close family friend to cancer when she was 12 years-old, she decided she would give back through a life in medicine. The journey took several turns, but eventually, she was living her lifelong dream, pursuing a career in surgery.
Three years into her General Surgical Residency at Howard University, she discovered she had a heart condition, AVNRT with dysautonomia. Her heart would race at over 260 beats per minute several times a day and cause her to become syncopal (black out). Not wanting to interfere with her ability to care for her patients, she underwent a cardiac ablation, burning a portion of the heart, to slow it down. The procedure was on a Thursday, and she was back to work that Monday, despite a complication of her procedure causing pericarditis (inflammation around her heart) and despite her family’s and doctor’s pleas. The next night her brother found her on the floor of her apartment, once again syncopal. The procedure failed, and she had to wait several months for the inflammation to subside before her heart could tolerate another ablation.
After the second ablation and several medications, her kidneys started to fail and she developed anasarca (30 lbs. of head to toe swelling), cerebral edema (brain swelling), memory loss, trouble speaking in full sentences, and much more. Her baseline heart-rate would not dip below 110 beats per minute, and would jump to the 180s when she simply stood up or took a few steps. Specialists in Maryland, DC, Virginia, and even Cleveland were all convinced she had to accept new limitations. Her uncontrolled heart rate meant that she was no longer allowed to exercise, climb stairs unaccompanied, or do much of anything she once could. Her memory and speech were considered permanent losses. She transitioned into her surgical research years still hopeful of improvement.
Every day she took additional steps, training her body and mind as best she could. At the end of the research time, having completed five out of the seven years she needed to finish surgical residency, she was still much sicker than she hoped. Pivoting away from a career in surgery seemed like the only option at the time.
She took a leap of faith and transitioned to a Preventive Medicine Residency at Johns Hopkins University. Embracing her journey, she also obtained a Master of Public Health and a Master of Business Administration, so that she could rebuild her future. During residency she got approved for travel by her cardiologist and went to Malawi for a month with an organization called Villages in Partnership, where she ran her own wound clinic. Armed with a backpack of supplies, her hands, and a completely open heart, she knew she was once again on the right path.
Three years into her General Surgical Residency at Howard University, she discovered she had a heart condition, AVNRT with dysautonomia. Her heart would race at over 260 beats per minute several times a day and cause her to become syncopal (black out). Not wanting to interfere with her ability to care for her patients, she underwent a cardiac ablation, burning a portion of the heart, to slow it down. The procedure was on a Thursday, and she was back to work that Monday, despite a complication of her procedure causing pericarditis (inflammation around her heart) and despite her family’s and doctor’s pleas. The next night her brother found her on the floor of her apartment, once again syncopal. The procedure failed, and she had to wait several months for the inflammation to subside before her heart could tolerate another ablation.
After the second ablation and several medications, her kidneys started to fail and she developed anasarca (30 lbs. of head to toe swelling), cerebral edema (brain swelling), memory loss, trouble speaking in full sentences, and much more. Her baseline heart-rate would not dip below 110 beats per minute, and would jump to the 180s when she simply stood up or took a few steps. Specialists in Maryland, DC, Virginia, and even Cleveland were all convinced she had to accept new limitations. Her uncontrolled heart rate meant that she was no longer allowed to exercise, climb stairs unaccompanied, or do much of anything she once could. Her memory and speech were considered permanent losses. She transitioned into her surgical research years still hopeful of improvement.
Every day she took additional steps, training her body and mind as best she could. At the end of the research time, having completed five out of the seven years she needed to finish surgical residency, she was still much sicker than she hoped. Pivoting away from a career in surgery seemed like the only option at the time.
She took a leap of faith and transitioned to a Preventive Medicine Residency at Johns Hopkins University. Embracing her journey, she also obtained a Master of Public Health and a Master of Business Administration, so that she could rebuild her future. During residency she got approved for travel by her cardiologist and went to Malawi for a month with an organization called Villages in Partnership, where she ran her own wound clinic. Armed with a backpack of supplies, her hands, and a completely open heart, she knew she was once again on the right path.
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Most recently, she traveled to New York City where, at the epicenter of the pandemic, she spent two months as a doctor for ABC News in their Medical Unit. Isolated from her loved ones back in Maryland, she spent every day helping with the response to COVID-19. She helped review nearly 24-hours a day of COVID-19 coverage on the network. Her team edited scripts for every ABC TV program on air, on the radio, and online, they fact-checked articles, summarized and analyzed the latest research, wrote scripts, and became medical journalists-writing articles to help inform the public of COVID-19 updates. She became part of the official Coronavirus Command Center for Good Morning America and 20/20, and contributed multiple times to ABC Radio and the ABC On Location show.
She knew first-hand the sacrifice the front line was making, and wanted to honor them with her words. Protecting the integrity of the information that went out, she knew every word could impact what millions of viewers believed and followed. Her training in Preventive Medicine made her an effective voice, and she ensured the work she did was for the public health and the public good. Humbled by the gravity of her work, she did everything in her power to share her colleagues’ experiences and be an advocate of accuracy and their champion in the news world.
Now, 4 years after a heart condition shattered her world and nearly took away her life, she is realizing that she has now developed opportunities that she would have never considered before. It took stepping away from surgery to allow her to become an effective ambassador and develop a passion for public health. In doing so, she was able to help heal her spirit, as well as her heart. Through it all she never lost her love of surgery, however, and now she looks forward to starting a vein fellowship in the near future. She is excited for the future, grateful for the past, and looking forward to carrying her passion for medicine into every corner of life.
