7 hours Ago By Jose Torres
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A former college track athlete and mother of five hopes her story might save lives and inspire others to listen to their bodies.For Micah Wesley, once a Kansas University track star, simple tasks like walking or getting out of bed became nearly impossible. The 35-year-old first thought she had COVID-19, but a visit to the doctor uncovered something far more serious: end-stage heart failure.
“I couldn’t even lay flat at night. I felt like I was suffocating, completely out of breath,” she recalled. “I just knew something was wrong.
”Dr. Jerome Thomas and Micah Wesley sit down with KXAN to talk about LVAD. (Photo by Frank Martinez)Doctors told her the only option left was a Left Ventricular Assist Device, or LVAD, a mechanical pump implanted inside the chest that helps the heart circulate blood.
MORE: Pregnant Texas mom beats Stage 3 breast cancer, shares story to support life-saving research“When patients have heart failure, the heart’s not able to pump enough blood,” explained Dr. Jerome Thomas, a cardiologist at the Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart. “The LVAD is a continuous pump that assists the heart in moving blood through the body.
”Wesley, who now lives in Texas, grew up in Kansas and discovered her athletic potential in high school when a coach suggested she try field events like shot put and discus. She earned a scholarship to Kansas University — but her health issues began before she ever stepped onto a college track.“I was running stairs during practice and suddenly felt this pounding in my chest and arm,” she said.
“My mom rushed me to the hospital. That’s when I found out I had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.”Man reunites with off-duty Austin firefighter who saved his lifeThe condition causes an abnormally fast heartbeat due to an extra electrical pathway in the heart.
After treatment and surgery, doctors also discovered she had a weakened heart muscle. Despite the diagnosis, Wesley sais KU honored her scholarship.“I was scared I’d lose everything,” she said.
“But KU stuck with me. I didn’t fully understand heart failure until much later — after I’d had all my kids.”Years later, it was motherhood that ultimately pushed her to seek help when her symptoms worsened.
“There were times I couldn’t play with my kids, couldn’t walk across the room without getting winded,” Wesley said. “My body was screaming at me, and I wasn’t paying attention.”As a former athlete, she admits she was embarrassed.
“I kept wondering if I had done something wrong.”Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) often used as a last resort for people with heart failure. (Photo Frank Martinez)But her strength came from within and from watching her children persevere, especially her son Mikahi, who has battled cancer twice.
“He lost his left eye but beat it the first time,” the mother of five said. “Something about kids - they’re such fighters. I looked at him and thought, if he can get through this, I can too.
”Faith also anchored her.“I’ve always believed that if you have just a mustard seed of faith, you can do anything,” Wesley said. “I believe in God that he would help me.
And I feel like me having that faith, in that hope, has brought me to where I need to be.”‘Weekend warriors’ reap similar health benefits to regular exercisers, study saysIn October 2024, Wesley became one of the youngest patients at Austin Heart Hospital to receive an LVAD. The device brought immediate relief.
“Micah was the perfect candidate,” said Dr. Thomas. “When the patient starts to feel more fatigue, tiredness, short of breath, winded, you know, like for Micah, for example.
She has a very active lifestyle. She's got kids, and she was struggling more and more to participate in their lives. And it's not because she didn't want to, she couldn't,”The decision to undergo surgery wasn’t easy.
Her son was in the hospital again, this time battling a second round of cancer.“I almost delayed the surgery,” she said. “But my son looked at me and said, ‘Mom, I’m going to be okay.
You go do what you need to do and come back to me.’ That gave me the strength to move forward.”In October 2024, Wesley became one of the youngest patients at Austin Heart Hospital to receive an LVAD.
The device brought immediate relief. (Photo Jose Torres)Today, her son Mikahi is in hospice, facing a cancerous tumor that has grown, according to the family’s GoFundMe Account.Wesley pushes forward for him, for her other children, and for herself.
Her next goal is to get on the heart transplant list. Until then, she’s living with renewed purpose.Father of four diagnosed with stage 4 cancer: A journey of hope, family, and resilience“At this point, I feel like I'm Superwoman.
I can do whatever I need to do, and I'm going to continue to do what I need to do until I can get on that transplant list,” Wesley said. “I feel very empowered honestly. And I tell everybody I come across like, hey, you know, things can sound so scary sometimes, but sometimes you have to take that leap of faith.
And you just you never know how it's going to turn out.”.
