Anne’s heart journey began in 2008 with congestive heart failure and an ICD implant. In 2014, she had biventricular assist devices implanted, as well as a heart transplant. Anne enjoyed attending WomenHeart Support Network meetings, before finally becoming a WomenHeart Champion. “For years, I was told that I had a heart murmur. I was an active child and adult and walked about 20 miles a week for exercise. But in 2008, that changed. I began to have trouble breathing even without exertion. When climbing a flight of stairs, I had to stop 2-3 times to catch my breath. Finally, it was so bad that I went to a cardiologist who admitted me to the hospital and I was diagnosed with Chronic Heart Failure. They implanted a pacemaker/defibrillator (ICD) to help my heart keep a good pace and I felt better until 2012. When I began to have trouble breathing again, I really thought that I was taking my last breath one night. I went to my doctor who confirmed that I was in the last stage of heart failure and she admitted me to the hospital. A that time my insurance wouldn’t cover a heart transplant so I had a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implanted in my heart. Shortly after that, I was able to get insurance that covered a heart transplant and was placed on the waiting list. Ten days later, I got the call that there was a heart for me. It was like I was back to normal! I could breathe, hike in mountains, work out, and travel.” (Video with Anne Bunting On Heart Failure: VAD, Heart Transplant, and Organ Donation)