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Caldwell Family
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My name is Chelsey Caldwell, and I am 17 years old. In the Spring of 2021, I was diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease known as cardiomyopathy, at the age of 16. To be more specific its non-compacted dilated cardiomyopathy. Non-compaction cardiomyopathy is a rare congenital disease of the heart muscle. Mine occurs in my left ventricle of my heart. In February 2021, I got sick the weekend after my late Sweet Sixteen and from there my health spiraled out of control. I couldn’t hold any food down or stay awake for more than five hours, but I never lost weight, I just got bigger. I was going back and forth to my primary care physician, but I never seemed to get better, and I was so frustrated because everyone thought I was faking my sickness. My school grades were dropping because I was missing classes or not doing the work because I was so weak. The first week of April, my mom took me to the emergency room and that’s when everything unfolded. At Dallas Regional, multiple tests were ran and I was transferred to Children’s, where I spent most of the two weeks in the Cardiac ICU. I was so heartbroken because I went to the hospital for the constant vomiting and found out I had heart disease. This has been one of the most life changing events. Now that I’m aware, I have been going back and forth to my cardiology appointments and I have been learning more and more about my condition. Even in my college search, I have been considerate of nearby hospitals to campuses and the means of getting to appointments when that time comes. In the beginning I was scared because I didn’t really understand what was happening to me. I cried a lot and I still do cry from time to time when I ponder on me and my condition. It’s hard for me to talk to those close to me about my condition because not everyone understands or relate to what I am going through. As I get ready to prepare for college, I have let it know that I strive to be a cardiac nurse practitioner to allow myself to understand more and help those after me who feel alone and lost. I feel like the more I’m able to understand about my body the better I will feel about everything that’s happening. It has been a hard year for me, and I hope it gets better from here.
Chelsey Caldwell
Chelsey Caldwell
Chelsey on her 16th birthday before being diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy.
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Chelsey on her first day of school 2021.
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God has a propose for your pain, a reason for your struggle and a reward for your faithfulness. Trust him and don’t give up. We may not understand it but we trust his plan and his purpose for Casen’s life. Today we had the honor of meeting the sweetest family from Balch Springs referred to us by Cooks Children’s. Chelsey is a 17 year old girl that just found out in April that she has Cardiomyopathy. They are the latest family we have been able to meet and help thanks to the amazing support Casen's Crew receives year after year. #rileys2021 #casenscrew #cardiomyopathy #blessed #chelsey #allbecauseofcasen
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