Happy Birthday Beth!

Yesterday would have been my cousin Beth's 41st birthday. She died in 1999 of a rare heart arrhythmia. She was only 30. The same age I am today. She left behind 4 beautiful girls. Beth was also plagued by PVCs. Her doctors initially told her not to worry and didn't take her condition serious because she was so young. Shortly before her death and unbeknownst to me that she was even experiencing heart problems, I first noticed my heart palpitations while in college. Most likely it was due to the stress of life transitions and a load of challenging coursework. Needless to say when I found out about Beth's heart problems and her subsequent death, I began to think that I had what she had. Especially when there were rumors that her death may be hereditary. To this day no one knows exactly why Beth died. Long QT? Botched ablation procedure? Weaning off Beta Blockers? V-tach? But from what we do know, Beth died of something besides occasional PVCs. It has taken me a long time to come to that conclusion. Her brother also experiences heart palpitations and his doctor has looked at Beth's medical records and also assures him that he does not have what Beth had. But at times both he and I worry when the occasional bout turns frequent or intense. Since Beth isn't around to blow out candles anymore, I'll make her wish for her. I wish that her girls would continue to grow more and more beautiful and that they would have happy healthy hearts all the days of their lives.