'I'm 27 and I've been told I could drop dead at any moment'

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A 27-year-old woman has been warned by doctors that she could suddenly drop dead at any moment. Bella Salsberry is living with a genetic heart condition that has devastated her family and left her relying on a pacemaker to stay alive.

Bella courageously shares the tough reality of living with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition that causes thickening of the heart muscles and hinders proper blood circulation. Bella said: "I know it really rubs people the wrong way when I say that I'm dying, so I'm just going to come at you with some cold, hard facts: I have genetic Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy."

Bella's heart is struggling under the weight of a condition that has been silently progressing for years. She said: "My brother dropped dead at the age of 12 because of HCM, and the only reason that my family became aware of the gene is because of my brother having a sudden cardiac event. My mum was told that because she was a woman, she did not have the gene when her echocardiogram came out clear. That information has been proven wrong, as she has passed the gene onto three of her children."

According to Bella, HCM is a condition that affects far more people than most realise. "Sudden and unexpected cardiac death is the most common cause of death around the world, and it can happen to anyone at any time, in any physical shape," Bella said.

"HCM causes 15% of those sudden cardiac deaths. Based on echocardiogram data alone, one in 500 people have HCM, but based on genetics, it's estimated that closer to one in 200 people have the gene for HCM."

Bella's diagnosis came after a genetic test that confirmed she, too, carried the gene for HCM. But as she explains, if she had only relied on an echocardiogram—a common heart test—her condition might have gone undiagnosed for years.

"My mum's echo was clear; they said that she was fine, and my little brother was asymptomatic and was the perfect picture of health," Bella said. "At the time of my diagnosis, I probably would not have received an HCM diagnosis based on my echo alone. It was that genetic test that got me that definitive 'You have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.' And now that I'm older and my heart has indeed thickened, it is starting to have a hard time pumping blood through my body, which means that I am in the early stages of congestive heart failure."

Bella is already experiencing the symptoms of heart failure. Bella's grandfather also suffered from congestive heart failure, and he relied entirely on his pacemaker to survive. She said: "My grandfather passed away from congestive heart failure. He relied 100% on his pacemaker to keep him alive until they eventually had to turn it off. I'm very lucky to have a pacemaker too."

For Bella, raising awareness about HCM is more than just a personal mission. She's driven by the knowledge that, all too often, women are misdiagnosed or dismissed altogether. She said: "If my brother didn't die, I probably still would not know that I even have HCM, as women are often misdiagnosed."

Despite the pain, fear, and uncertainty that come with living with HCM, Bella's message is ultimately one of hope and resilience: "We are all dying, but life is worth living," she says.

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