Silver Book Fact
“Sherri Selph was 41 when she was first diagnosed with second-stage congestive heart failure. However, her rapidly diminishing health led to a diagnosis of end-stage heart disease. A heart transplant was not an option. Survival statistics for patients with Sherrie’s condition are grim. Even with the best treatment available, only 50 percent of heart failure patients live beyond a year.
Her doctor suggested that Sherri enroll in a clinical trial. Sherri soon became a patient and a member of the group that received an implantable heart pump.
The results were immediate. Four days after receiving her heart pump Sherri was back on her feet. ‘I could not believe it. The pump had given me back my life,’ she said. ‘Without this procedure, I would not have lived to see my youngest grandson who is now two and a half years old.’ Sherri is now back in South Carolina with her heart pump and her five grand-children, who prefer that she stay right where she is.”
Investment in Research Saves Lives and Money. http://www.researchamerica.org/advocacy/investment.html. Published 2005