An oHCM diagnosis didn't stop Lexi from returning to some of the activities she loves
Lexi is a paid spokesperson for Bristol Myers Squibb.
In the years following her oHCM (obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) diagnosis, Lexi's health declined rapidly. At just 31 years old, she was forced to reimagine an uncertain future.
Over time, she returned to some of the activities that brought her joy and reconnected with the active lifestyle she loved.
She decided to take on a new challenge, setting her sights on climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with her sister. Together, they embarked on the demanding journey, climbing 5,000 feet in elevation and achieving a goal that once seemed unimaginable.
See how Lexi challenged her own expectations after her oHCM diagnosis and achieved more than she thought possible.
After college, I ran three half marathons. But it got to the point where I couldn't get off my couch.
I'm Lexi. I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I have two pitbull mixes, and I love doing yoga and reading.
I had an incredibly normal life. I was very active. I rode horses and played tennis through high school. But I knew something was off in 2021. I couldn't bend over and touch my toes without graying out. I was getting sick just from doing very basic yoga poses. After getting both a cardiac echo and a cardiac MRI, I was officially diagnosed with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
When my doctor told me I either needed open heart surgery or I could try a new medicine both seemed overwhelming and scary. But I was so sick I couldn't live my life anymore the way that I was living it. And so I had to make a bold choice.
Once I started feeling better and feeling like my old self again, nothing felt impossible. And so when my sister applied for a permit to hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, we knew we had to do it.
Half Dome is the hardest hike that America's national park system has to offer. It's incredibly dangerous.
For 40 stories, I am pulling myself up, literally the side of a mountain, and suddenly, you are on top of the world.
My sister was the first person who saw my too-big heart. She's a cardiac sonographer, and so to be there with her and just being able to reflect and feel unstoppable, it was the best feeling in the world.
That's why We Won't Lose.
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