COTA for Kierra Keke

Before the night ends...

It was a year ago today where the start of my new “normal” life would begin.

March 27, 2018, was the day when I came in for what I thought was JUST a 30 minute procedure of a heart catheterization. This procedure measured for the pressure and blood flow in my heart; which determines how they are or were planning to treat my heart disease.

With me being in denial about my 15 year heart condition, I didn’t expect this procedure to be much of a big thing. I assumed it would be quick and I would be able to return back to school in Corpus Christi the next day. And even though my parents were pretty certain that I wasn’t going to be able to go back, they let me have my moment.

I remember they told my parents that I had just days to live and to think I was 4 hours away from home and barely making it through the days, but I kept pushing!

It has been one hell of a ride that’s for sure, but if anything this experience has taught me more than I have ever learned in my 23 years. I did find myself tearing up a few times today, but I am feeling good and I am HAPPY, nonetheless. This is my journey and I’m living it in the best possible way that I can.❤️

In case you haven't heard - Keke was on the news yesterday!! Please take a few minutes to check out Keke's news story. Thank you ABC13 for taking the time to capture Keke's resilience and positive outlook on life. ABC13 Houston

Young woman with mechanical heart inspiring others Kierra Hill is proving she has a whole lot of heart, even if hers is failing.

A little update!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve had the opportunity to be interviewed with a couple of news anchors from Channel 13 KTRK. This was completely a surprise to me as I got a phone call one day about a month ago from someone in Communications and Marketing at the hospital wanting to hear and share my story.

For anyone who watches The Good Doctor, there is an episode where a young patient was confined to her home her entire life due to a heart condition. Although I wasn’t confined my whole life, that is where the inspiration came from to do the story with me!

As if you guys don’t hear it enough, I’ll be sharing my journey with cancer, battling heart failure, camp life, and life with Lilo!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the life I was given and how God chose this life for me to live. As I’ve gotten older, I wouldn’t dare ask him “Why?” Because I believe that this life was given to me for the sole purpose of making something out of it and allowing me to meet the people that I have met & experience all that I have in my 23 years!

In a couple of weeks I’ll be headed to Minnesota to speak with the Medtronic company about my life with an LVAD. It’s exciting because they don’t get to see their LVAD patients much if at all, and are usually behind the scenes in all of this, so it’ll be great to see and speak with them again!

Sharing my story and now with having Lilo is only the beginning of it all!❤️

Don’t forget to tune in today at approximately 4:50PM on Channel 13-KTRK! And in case you won’t be able to tune it at that time, it will be posted on the ABC13.com site tonight!

Today is your day, Keke! Happy Birthday!!! No matter how many hospital visits or how much homework you have from your college classes, you always keep a smile on your face and make the best out of each day. You are one of the strongest individuals we know and we're so proud of you! Thanks for inspiring us Keke!

p.s. If you have an extra $5, please hop on over to our website and make a donation for Keke's new heart:
www.cotaforkierrakeke.com

It's a holiday miracle! We raised $922 from the Kendra Scott fundraiser. Thank you to everyone that came to the store, ordered over the phone, and promoted the event. We are so thankful! Currently we have raised $2,191 for Keke's new heart. We need to raise $40,000 total for the operation and all of the medicine that she will need afterwards. While this amount is overwhelming, we are hopeful that we will reach the required amount in time with everyone's help. Please consider giving (even $5 helps!) if you can. All donations are tax deductible and may be made online at www.cotaforkierrakeke.com

Happy Holidays!!

Thank you all that were able to make it to our fundraiser yesterday or call in an order! Your support means the world to us. Special shout out to UB alumni Janelly Saucedo and Raul Saucedo Jr. for driving all the way to Rice Village to show your support ❤️☺️

We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from the Kendra Gives Back Party in honor of COTA for Kierra Keke! Come out and join us guys!💛

💛 Monday, December 17, 2018
💛 6PM-8PM
💛 Rice Village Location
💛 Sips, sweets, & jewels!
💛 20% of all proceeds go directly to COTA For Kierra Keke benefiting heart transplant expenses.

Join us for a fundraising evening event on December 17th at the Kendra Scott in Rice Village. If you cannot make it into the store, you can order over the phone with free shipping during the event time 713-965-4056.

20% of all proceeds will go to COTA in honor of Keke to assist with transplant-related expenses.

November 24, 2018

Late Friday night/Saturday morning, I was doing my routine shower followed by Lilo’s dressing change. As I started peeling off the old dressing, I started to feel an extreme rush of lightheadedness hit me, I took a deep breath and proceeded to clean my exposed driveline tube. I felt it again, but this time I dropped the sterilized alcohol swab on the floor and kneeled over the sink, to give myself a break from fully standing.
At that point, I started sweating and panicking so my main focus at that time was “COVER YOUR DRIVELINE, IT CANNOT BE EXPOSED TO AIR FOR TOO MUCH LONGER” so I grabbed the 2nd sterilized alcohol swab & continued cleaning & I dropped it..

That’s when my hands completely locked up on me and started forming into a stiff-like position. It wasn’t until that moment where I realized “Okay, something is seriously wrong.”

I went to my parents room and my dad says “What’s wrong, what, what?” I kept saying: “I don’t know, my hands are stuck” *crying*

We get in the car...
We drove about a mile before we saw 3 police cars at a gas station who had pulled over someone and my dad figured they could help us quicker than trying to make it to the nearest fire station for the LVAD certified ambulance. Thank God those cops were there on that exact day at that exact time because boy did we need them.

As we are waiting in the truck, my dad is hugging me and talking me through my panic, it was in those moments of waiting for the EMT, I felt my entire body lock up literally from my head to the tip of my toes and it felt like pins and needle sensation. I’m assuming out of panic, I just kept talking or trying to talk once my face locked up..I literally thought “Okay well it hasn’t reached my chest but I feel it in my stomach so it must be close and that’ll be the end and I’ll be gone”

These were my ACTUAL words.

“Dads what’s happening to me?”
“Everything feels tight, I’m so scared”
“I don’t want to die”
“What’s taking them so long”

My dad said: “Well we know it’s not your heart, otherwise the machine would be alarming”

At one point, I stopped trying to talk and crying and closed my eyes and just let myself relax and prepare for that moment...

The cops got in contact with the EMT, not LVAD certified but I’ll admit they did help me as much as they could.
I kept asking the EMT “Can you please help me?”

The EMT was holding my hands the entire ride to the hospital and rubbing them to give me comfort, she also gave me a really comfy blanket to keep. She told me, “Don’t let anyone take this blanket from you.” 💕

Turns out I had vitamin deficiency in potassium, magnesium, calcium/VitD. My levels were dangerously low and my INR was at 5.8 (normal ranges 2.0-3.0) and my magnesium level was at 0.6 (NR 1.5-2.5).

It was Hypokalemia. They gave me everything that I needed to stop the spasms and muscle tension. I’m feeling much better now, though my muscles are pretty sore but that’s so little compared to everything else.

Being close to death so many times in my life has left a forever mark on me, but this in particular has traumatized me in more ways than I could imagine. I will say that I am SO glad that I have my LVAD, I am very dependent on it and it help put my dad at ease knowing it wasn’t my heart causing the problem this time.

My dad told me a while back that my grandmother (his mom) has been my guardian angel & I genuinely believe that to be true.❤️