At 4 months old I was diagnosed with a serious heart disease called cardio-myopathy. Doctors told my parents that I would not make it past age 4.
At age 4 I went to try out to be a cheerleader something doctors told me I couldn’t do. During that time, I was still on the heart transplant list that I had been on since age 1. My mother and coaches believed in me and pushed me very hard, and I also tried very hard because I love cheering.
My first year cheering I cried everyday because I didn’t want to exercise/run etc, but wanted to cheer so my coaches kept pushing me. After cheering for two years, at age 6 I went to get a small procedure done that allowed the doctors to see what was happening inside of my heart. After the procedure, doctors told my mother that my heart was so much better and that I could now be able to go inactive on the heart transplant list if I still took my medicine everyday.
My mother strongly believed that cheering/exercising on a regular basis got me to that point.
I am now 8 years old and although I still take medications daily and my heart is still not as normal as it could be, I am still inactive in the transplant list and doctors said I might not need a new heart until college, but everyday I push to not need a heart at all just medicine and I believe if I stay fit that will happen .Cheering is something I love to do and to be a great cheerleader I have to train hard and stay fit and exercising almost everyday made me the great cheerleader I am today!!!
– CHEERFIT Ambassador Shawnelle Hamilton