Enjoying simple things

Carla van Alem (32) from The Hague has a rich life with her family and her work as a biomedical consultant. Thanks to her donor heart. 'It is so beautiful that I can build sandcastles on the beach with my daughter. And also that my husband can tell me off because I'm always busy. My temperament was already strong before the transplant, but it has only grown.'

'My little sister overtook me while swimming'

At 19, Carla developed heart problems. 'I did synchronized swimming and noticed that my little sister was overtaking me while swimming laps. I also often had heart palpitations and shortly after that, I collapsed in the shower and ended up in the ICU. There was a liter of fluid between my heart and the pericardium. They removed that.'

'They pulled me off the bike immediately'

After that, Carla's condition remained poor, but according to the cardiologist, it was all in my head. 'At my own request, I had a heart exam while on a stationary bike. They pulled me off immediately; it was life-threatening. Only then did the diagnosis follow: I had a tumor in my heart. Surgery or radiation was not an option.'

'The transplant went wrong'

A donor heart was the only possibility. 'I had just started studying and three days before my first exam, everything came to a standstill. For months I couldn't do anything but wait. In January 2008, a heart became available, but it was rejected while I was already under anesthesia for the transplant. A few weeks later, another donor heart arrived. That transplant went wrong, because during the surgery, the new heart had a heart attack. So I ended up back on the waiting list. Meanwhile, I was on a heart machine.'

'There was a cow in my room'

After that failed surgery, Carla developed delirium, a reaction of the brain to a physical condition, which is accompanied by confusion and hallucinations. 'Once there was a cow in my room, and I crashed in a plane. All nonsense. Terrifying, because I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. Later I had therapy because I started having panic attacks due to that experience.'

'I started studying full-time immediately'

After nine days, salvation came: another donor heart, with which the transplant succeeded. In April, she was allowed to go home. 'I was done with sitting still, I wanted to study. Actually, I was only allowed to do that for two afternoons as therapy, but in September I started full-time with a slightly more flexible schedule.'

'I thought: what a slick guy!'

After her studies, Carla went on to get her PhD. 'In the lab where I did research, I quickly made friends. And at the same time as me, a colleague started who began talking to everyone very amicably on day one. I thought: what a slick guy! It turned out he had done an internship there and therefore knew everyone, haha! After three years, we got married. And although there are more risks with having children with a donor heart, we now have a two-year-old daughter. In the winter, our second child is coming.'

'It is especially important to record a choice'

On TransplantERENdag, the national donor commemoration day, Carla reflects on her donors. 'I am grateful that these people, who were healthy themselves, thought of others who were sick and filled in 'yes'. This is not a pleasant subject to think about and it is a personal choice; I completely understand if people say 'no'. It is especially important to register a choice. Also for your surviving relatives.'

'I want to apply the lessons learned'

Sometimes it feels strange to live with a donor heart, she says. ‘It’s a weird realization that I’m still here thanks to someone else’s heart. Sometimes it feels like a movie; it all happened within a year. I don’t want to dwell on the past too much, but rather apply the lessons I’ve learned. For example, by going to Kijkduin or the petting zoo with my daughter. And by doing everything I do to the fullest.’