MY JOURNEY WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE (SO FAR)

Hello, my name is Konstantinos Chortis, i' m 56 years old and i live in Athens since 1988. I was born in Sydney, NSW, Australia to Greek immigrants. I was born with a quite common congenital heart condition, namely ventricular septal defect and additionally with a wide cleft on my mitral valve. It came as a surprise given the fact that none of my close or even distant relatives suffered from a severe cardiovascular condition. No screening was available at the time, a situation rather primitive, to put it mildly. Even in a developed and rich country like Australia, cardiac surgery was in its infancy, let alone in Greece. Coming from a low income blue-collar family that was not really educated, it was more than obvious that it was a real shocker. I was not diagnosed right away, but my health deteriorated fast. At the age of two i was undernourished, skinny, grumpy and... literally blue. My parents, first dismissed, but at this point alarmed, searched for professional assistance, and they eventually had a diagnosis on their hands. An open heart surgery was an emergency due to the fact that pulmonary hypertension was increasing fast and my condition would soon be irreversible and of course, fatal. My mother, already suffering from depression and very weak due to her own health issues, panicked, and my father, devastated but resilient and determined, had to deal with two... patients. Hardly speaking the language made things worse, and uncertainty prevailed. Thanks to their social security, i underwent a very challenging and risky procedure at the Royal Alexandra Hospital of Sydney. My chances were 50-50 according to dr. Cartmill, famous surgeon back then. I still have some faint memories in my mind which are still giving me chills. Parents desperate and crying, especially my mom, green sheets, unbearably powerful lights, blinding my eyes, strange faces in white blouses and masks, i could not really understand. I just remember being frightened. Fast forward, against the odds, note it was 1972, i survived and i lead a relatively normal life. I had some issues and I was I’ say an overprotected child. This had a deep impact on me, making me shy and reserved. At the age of 26 there was another twist of fate, nearly fatal yet again, i had a pace maker implanted and that was no easy task. I learned slowly and painfully to live with the trauma and a sense of injustice, all over again, my mother never truly overcame her devastating experience, and she is still on meds. I recall asking her, recently, if she believes in God or a divine or supernatural being and her reply left me speechless: Well, she said rather bitterly, I used to, till I gave birth to a sick child through no fault of mine. I do not subscribe to this point of view, I’ m not angry, but I take her point.
Needless to say i experienced bulling as a kid and a teenager and it was brutal. I grew up in my homeland, Greece, and in the 1970’s and 1980’s it was not easy to be accepted as a kid like me, not athletic, not sociable, feeling isolated, and with chronic health issues, but i somehow managed, and today I believe I know why.
I'm married and a father of two and now I realize that sometimes you are left with no choice but to stand on your feet and make the most out of it. Needless to say i experienced bulling as a kid and a teenager (I grew up in my homeland, Greece, and in the 1970’s and 1980’s it was not easy to be accepted as a kid like me, not athletic, not sociable, feeling isolated, and with chronic health issues, including chronic depression even panic attacks so I resorted to medication), but i somehow managed. I believe it was an inner power, an instinct of surviving. And that's the final message, as unfair it may be, as hard to accept, as painful and traumatic, you stand on your feet and fight. There is no alternative to nobody, and by the way every time i look at my two kids, i deep down feel it was worth it, no matter what's in store for me in the future. Who knows at the end of the day… The need to share what I’ ve been through and maybe, just maybe, be useful or make some sense to cardiac patients like me made me gradually and little by little an advocate in an effort to redeem myself of my daemons and perhaps make a slight difference.
KONSTANTINOS CHORTIS
PRESIDENT OF THE PANHELLENIC HEART DISEASE ASSOCIATION