Heart surgery gives aspiring nurse new lease on life

After being diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation a year ago, Tajera Smith had a realisation while receiving treatment in hospital – it was time to switch her major at Northern Caribbean University to nursing. A science enthusiast at heart, she had been pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences up until the end of the 2023/24 academic year.

“I just always liked biology specifically, and chemistry. I chose biological sciences first because I wanted to become a doctor, but after being in the hospital for the heart surgery, and the whole interaction with the nurses and the doctors, I kind of had a change of heart and decided that I wanted to do nursing because of just the whole experience in the hospital and how everyone treated me,” Smith, who was 18 years of age at the time of her diagnosis, said during a recent interview with Lifestyle.

Mitral valve regurgitation is a heart condition in which the flaps (leaflets) of the mitral valve do not close properly, allowing blood to flow backward into the left atrium instead of moving forward into the left ventricle. This backward leakage can strain the heart and lead to complications over time.

For Smith, signs of her disease all started with a prolonged headache, and she went to the doctor thinking it was a migraine.

“I never knew that I had a heart condition at the time; I did a check up and the doctor told me that he heard a murmur with my heartbeat, so he sent me to a specialist and from there they explained the whole leakage and what had to be done. Since getting the valve, I’ve noticed that I don’t get as tired easily and at times I would become dizzy. That has also changed. For right now, I do check ups once every three months,” Smith said.

“My parents were very shocked [with my diagnosis], because I never really had any major signs of heart disease until the later part of my diagnosis, so they were scared. They took action immediately figuring out what can be done to help me and whether or not, at the time, I needed surgery,” she said.

In February 2024, Tajera Smith, a Mandeville native, was just coming to terms with her diagnosis. She held onto hope that Good Samaritans would step in to help fund the life-saving surgery she needed to have a heart valve implanted.

Thankfully, that same month, a cardiac heart mission that is led by Dr Sunil Stephenson, fully covered the cost. The initiative, which sponsors free heart surgeries for some Jamaicans each year, gave Smith a second chance at life.

Now, the past student of DeCarteret College and first year nursing school student, says she is excited to be on a trajectory to become a registered nurse.

“As a future nurse, I want to make a difference in people’s live’s, especially in high stress situations, while I was in the hospital the nurses made me feel safe, and I want to do that for others. I want to be the person that patients can trust during their most vulnerable moments. The change I want to make isn’t just about medicine, it’s about humanity. A lot of nurses have lost sight of that. Nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a calling,” Smith said.

With her mechanical valve now implanted, Smith aims to keep in shape, exercising at least three times per week, doing yoga or walking for an hour or two, on a treadmill. As for her diet, she has a set meal plan and says she just try to eat as healthy as she can for the most part.

“I feel incredibly grateful. Going through surgery and coming out on the other side with a second chance at life has changed my perspective completely. Every heartbeat is a reminder of how precious life is, and I don’t take that for granted. It’s given me even more motivation to pursue nursing so I can help others the way my medical team helped me. This experience has made me stronger, and I’m excited to use it to inspire and care for others,” she said.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com