Fibby the Defibrillator

How many of you give pet names to the inanimate objects in your life? My friend Sheila named her MP3 player Zelda and 17-year-old Jessi-Ann Bettcher named her internal heart defibrillator Fibby. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure caused by idiopathic (unknown cause) dilated cardiomyopathy, Jessi-Ann still has a great attitude.

When my heart decides to take a rest, ‘Fibby’ reminds it to ‘wake up!’ No time out for my heart.

Next month, she and her parents will be traveling to Yale-New Haven to discuss the possibility of a heart transplant in the future.

Putnam Country Courier, November 24, 2006

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