I decided to pick up a camera and a pen
to create the missing stories of young heart patients.
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When I was diagnosed at 14 with a deadly heart condition, I had to stop much of my physical activity and I found solace in film. But I didn’t find myself in film, for I didn’t find anyone with my condition. So I pursued a degree in film so my abilities could match my passion and vision to create stories that would make congenital heart patients known to the world and stop their solitary suffering. 
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"AwareNow knows, as I know, that it is through media
that we can infuse the reality of the human condition
into man’s understanding in a way that will evoke empathy and action.
Who we do not know, we do not serve.
Our vision is the same, our goal is shared, and our paths are complementary."
that we can infuse the reality of the human condition
into man’s understanding in a way that will evoke empathy and action.
Who we do not know, we do not serve.
Our vision is the same, our goal is shared, and our paths are complementary."
About Hannah
“When I looked up my heart condition online after being diagnosed, all I found were headlines with dead kids. Ten years later, I can say that you can look up my condition and find a community of those alive and those honoring the legacy of those who passed, and you can find all that on my Instagram account @heartcharged. It is the hope and community I wished to see when I got diagnosed.”
Hannah was diagnosed her first month of high school. Before that time, she would have been considered a very-active, relatively normal youth. She danced and played sports in and out of school. She had a few fainting incidents and palpitations, but her pediatrician assured her there was nothing to worry about. Then her aunt was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which can often be genetic, so her mother decided to have her checked by a cardiologist. That cardiologist said, “I don’t know how you haven’t dropped dead yet.” Like too many others, Hannah’s warning signs had been explained away and Hannah’s heart was a ticking time bomb.
Hannah’s diagnosis was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an incurable heart condition, the first recognized symptom of which is often death. The disease was already advanced and worsened. In a year, it was severe enough for Hannah to need an implanted defibrillator, or ICD. Just months after receiving that at another cardiology appointment, Hannah heard the doctor exclaim, “Thank God, that’s why we put these things in.” Hannah had gone into sudden cardiac arrest in her sleep and the device had, unbeknownst to her at the time, shocked her back to life.
Besides the defibrillator, Hannah was also prescribed medications and lifestyle changes, meaning no more competitive dance or sports. Full of free time, Hannah turned to TV and film to fill her time. And that then turned into what she calls an ‘addiction’. She stared at the screen for companionship and therapy and has never turned away. Hannah now has a film degree from Full Sail University.
While at college, she co-founded the organization HeartCharged with her sister. Its mission is to have more happy endings for people like Hannah who have an undiagnosed heart condition or go into sudden cardiac arrest. She knows we as a society can do more to turn the current 9% survival rate to 90%. To accomplish that, she combines the myriad of creative talents she’s honed with her passion for patient advocacy to make memorable, educational content which reaches beyond the patient community and into the general public. She infuses her works, ranging from photos to reels to short films, with a reality that grips you and a message that touches your heart and imprints on your brain.
Hannah presents before groups from students to medical professionals. Cardiologists learn from her, young people listen to her, and patients relate to her. Her wit and realism make people laugh, cry, think, and act. Her eclectic content has spurned global campaigns and brought life-saving knowledge to millions. She is especially proud of her novel music videos which teach and empower people from children to adults what to do in a cardiac emergency. Her accolades include being a two-time Social Health Awards Finalist, a Citizen’s CPR 40 Under 40, and creating the first-place video in the worldwide resuscitation video contest. She invites everyone to find and follow her @heartcharged on Instagram.
Hannah was diagnosed her first month of high school. Before that time, she would have been considered a very-active, relatively normal youth. She danced and played sports in and out of school. She had a few fainting incidents and palpitations, but her pediatrician assured her there was nothing to worry about. Then her aunt was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which can often be genetic, so her mother decided to have her checked by a cardiologist. That cardiologist said, “I don’t know how you haven’t dropped dead yet.” Like too many others, Hannah’s warning signs had been explained away and Hannah’s heart was a ticking time bomb.
Hannah’s diagnosis was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an incurable heart condition, the first recognized symptom of which is often death. The disease was already advanced and worsened. In a year, it was severe enough for Hannah to need an implanted defibrillator, or ICD. Just months after receiving that at another cardiology appointment, Hannah heard the doctor exclaim, “Thank God, that’s why we put these things in.” Hannah had gone into sudden cardiac arrest in her sleep and the device had, unbeknownst to her at the time, shocked her back to life.
Besides the defibrillator, Hannah was also prescribed medications and lifestyle changes, meaning no more competitive dance or sports. Full of free time, Hannah turned to TV and film to fill her time. And that then turned into what she calls an ‘addiction’. She stared at the screen for companionship and therapy and has never turned away. Hannah now has a film degree from Full Sail University.
While at college, she co-founded the organization HeartCharged with her sister. Its mission is to have more happy endings for people like Hannah who have an undiagnosed heart condition or go into sudden cardiac arrest. She knows we as a society can do more to turn the current 9% survival rate to 90%. To accomplish that, she combines the myriad of creative talents she’s honed with her passion for patient advocacy to make memorable, educational content which reaches beyond the patient community and into the general public. She infuses her works, ranging from photos to reels to short films, with a reality that grips you and a message that touches your heart and imprints on your brain.
Hannah presents before groups from students to medical professionals. Cardiologists learn from her, young people listen to her, and patients relate to her. Her wit and realism make people laugh, cry, think, and act. Her eclectic content has spurned global campaigns and brought life-saving knowledge to millions. She is especially proud of her novel music videos which teach and empower people from children to adults what to do in a cardiac emergency. Her accolades include being a two-time Social Health Awards Finalist, a Citizen’s CPR 40 Under 40, and creating the first-place video in the worldwide resuscitation video contest. She invites everyone to find and follow her @heartcharged on Instagram.
