When Katie Althoff went in for a routine physical her senior year in high school she found out she might need a new heart.
By DeNae Thomas
Assistant Lifestyles Editor
Sophomore Katie Althoff looks like any other girl at Pepperdine, with her long blond hair, sweet smile and warm eyes. She also has an incredible story to tell.
Althoff had a heart transplant last summer.
“All my life I have tried to not take things for granted,” Althoff said. “But now that I am out of the hospital I realize that being with people who aren’t doctors and nurses is so important.”
Althoff found out about her condition during her senior year in high school. She had no symptoms, but when she went in for a routine physical her doctor listened to her heart and said something was wrong.
“My doctor said my heart sounded kind of funny, but that he was sure it was probably nothing,” Althoff said. “When I went to the cardiologist they told me it was not good at all and that I might have to think about a transplant someday.”
Althoff was diagnosed with cardio myopathy, which causes fluids to collect in her heart that would eventually slow down her heartbeat to an abnormal, dangerous level.
“It’s actually the same thing that Will Kimble on the basketball team has, but I have dilated cardio myopathy, which is something you can’t live with,” Althoff said.
The diagnosis occurred near the end of Althoff’s senior year, while she was busy with graduation events and AP tests.
“Since I didn’t have any symptoms, I just thought everyone was making a huge deal out of nothing,” Althoff said. “Basically I just went on with my life.”
Through the summer and most of Althoff’s freshman year at Pepperdine time passed without any problems while she tried to maintain normalcy and not let the condition affect her life.
It was not until spring 2002 that Althoff realized everything was not as fine as she was telling herself and everyone around her that it was.
“Last April I had a speech class down in the old trailers and walking up those stairs after speech killed me,” Althoff said. “I was always so tired afterwards and out of breath.”
She said sometimes the climb was so bad that she had to sit down to rest at the top of the stairs before she could have the strength to walk back to Sigma, her hall.
“That was when I realized something was really wrong,” Althoff said.
Sophomore Kirsten Lee, Althoff’s friend and suitemate freshmen year, said that those close to her could tell Althoff’s health was diminishing, even just by the coloring in her skin.
“But you never would have known how serious her condition was because she was so strong,” Lee said. “She would usually just laugh it off like it was no big deal.”
Althoff was able to finish finals last April, but she said that if they had been a week later she would not have been able to finish the year because she was feeling so sick.
Finally, at the beginning of last summer, Althoff knew she could not keep pretending that everything was okay.
“I went back to the doctor last summer because I was always nauseous and throwing up, which is a symptom that goes along with heart problems,” Althoff explained. “In May my stomach got all swollen and it looked like I was pregnant. It was edema in my stomach, which is like a collection of blood.”
In the middle of May Althoff’s doctor told her she was definitely going to need a heart transplant and that they were putting her name on a list of patients waiting for a heart.
As her condition worsened and her energy drained, Althoff was glad to have the support of her family.
“I have always been close with my family,” she said. “But last summer they stayed with me the entire time I was in and out of the hospital and we got even closer.”
On June 16 Althoff’s doctors told her that she was going to have to stay in the hospital until they had a heart for her.
“My doctor told me that it wasn’t going to be a fun summer,” Althoff said. “I had to be on IV medication at all times so I couldn’t leave the hospital.”
The average person has to wait for three months to a year for a heart, while others have to wait for several years. Generally, the worse condition a person is in, the higher they are put on the list.
However, the day after Althoff had been told she would have to stay in the hospital her entire summer, her doctor said he had found a heart for her.
“It was crazy and amazing,” Althoff said. “I was so lucky to get a heart so soon.”
Early on the morning of June 18 Althoff had her heart transplant operation.
After taking last semester to regain her strength, Althoff is already back on campus working on her psychology major, volunteering her time to “America Reads” and spending time with her friends on campus.
Those who knew Althoff her freshman year and know her now say she is the same as ever.
“It is unreal what she went through,” Lee said. “But when you talk to her about everything she makes it sound like having a heart transplant happens in every day life.”
Although Althoff had some complications after the operation, and has to take several medications to make sure she stays healthy, she said her life is now back to normal.
Althoff’s roommate this semester, Nia Murrell, said the only thing different about her is the immense amount of pills she has to take each day.
“I think she has handled the whole thing incredibly well,” Murrell said. “She’s definitely playing it down, but she knows how to take care of herself so everything is going well.”
Althoff said she is thankful that the entire situation is finally under control. She said her doctors say everything will be fine if she continues to take her medicine and have a heart-healthy diet.
“If you look in my desk drawer there are tons of anti-rejection medicines,” she said. “I have to take them for the rest of my life to make sure my body never rejects the heart.”
Since she lives in Simi Valley, which is only 40 minutes away, Althoff said she is able to maintain the close ties with her family she developed over the last few years. She goes home almost every weekend to spend time with her family.
Her boyfriend, Marc Crossland, also lives in her hometown.
As for what will happen next, Althoff said that is an open book. She is planning on going to graduate school after getting her psychology degree from Pepperdine and then will see what happens afterward.
One thing she knows is that she wants to help people and do something worthwhile with her life.
“My whole ordeal made me realize that I have been blessed and because of that I want to do something meaningful,” Althoff said. “I have been given a second chance.”
January 30, 2003
