Dallas, Texas (NAPSI) - Aleta Kellam, 55, was an active medical professional living a full life when heart failure started to make even the simplest tasks, like walking up a flight of stairs, almost unbearable. Concerned she wasn’t receiving the full story about treatment options, she turned to several online resources, where she learned about how the HeartMate II® Left Ventricular Assist Device, or LVAD, was giving heart failure sufferers a second chance at life.

“It was very empowering to educate myself about my treatment options,” said Kellam. “The research I did led me to the HeartMate II, which has truly taken me from the brink of death to a life I never imagined I could have again.”

While a diagnosis of heart failure is difficult, the numerous medical advancements for the treatment of heart failure offer sufferers hope that did not exist even 10 years ago. For people with advanced heart failure, an LVAD is one such medical advancement that has redefined how heart failure sufferers live their lives. More than just adding years to their lives, LVADs get recipients back to an active lifestyle that most thought was long gone and, more important, allow them to share their lives again with the people they care about.

Resources Are Available

For patients like Aleta Kellam, education is a powerful tool in helping to choose the right therapy. By visiting www.HeartMateII.com/empower, users will learn about LVAD therapy and find a community of advanced heart failure sufferers who chose HeartMate II. These HeartMate II recipients are sharing their stories and providing support to one another, enabling visitors to learn about their experience firsthand from patients just like themselves.

The site also includes numerous resources, including medical centers and a network of cardiologists around North America specializing in LVADs, questions to ask your doctor, and a self-test to see if advanced treatment options like HeartMate II may be a viable treatment option.

Today, Kellam is setting a new course for her future, having returned to college. “I am part of this amazing community of people who all share a special bond, because HeartMate II has given us more years to live, more memories to make, and more celebrations to share with family and friends. How great is that?”