Hello! I’m Justine, 25 years old, born with transposition of the great vessels and pulmonary stenosis.
When I was born, the doctors thought I was healthy… Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case at all. In my first hours of life, I had to be airlifted to CHUL in Quebec City. At that time, my parents and I were in a hospital room in Gaspé, more than an 8-hour drive from Quebec City.
So, I had my first operations after just a few hours and a few days of being born. I was in a terrible state, and my life was hanging by a thread.
Throughout my life, right up to adulthood, I had several operations. Twice for a pacemaker (one of which I still have), once for a beef jugular vein and a few others. To this day, I’m followed by a cardiologist every 6-8 months, and I think I will be for the rest of my life.
I’d like to say to children with heart disease and their parents that it’s possible to have a good life despite this condition. Yes, I’ve had my ups and downs, a lot of lows, but that’s what made me stronger. Today, as an adult, I have a good job, I travel, I have a partner with whom I own a houseand I exercise 4 to 6 times a week. I do a lot of running, and this year, in 2025, I’m going to achieve my biggest challenge and my greatest distance: 50 km in a relay.