At just 21 years old, months after giving birth to her daughter in February 2023, Chris-Ann Hall began developing severe heart complications.

“I was having really bad shortness of breath. I couldn’t keep anything down. I was coughing a lot and I couldn’t lie on my left side or on my back. I had to sleep sitting up,” the Westmoreland native recalled.

Initially misdiagnosed with acid reflux, further tests in early 2024 revealed a build-up of fluid on the left side of her body caused by mitral valve regurgitation.

“The valve was basically damaged, and it was leaking fluid into my lungs, so that’s why I was coughing a lot and I couldn’t do anything,” Hall said. “The cardiologist basically said I needed to change the valve. So, I started medication, a lot of medication, and I was in the hospital for three weeks at that time.”

She shared that her heart function dropped to 23 per cent and required long-term medication while doctors monitored her condition.

Due to the high cost associated with heart valve replacement surgery, Hall was referred by doctors at the University Hospital of the West Indies in 2025 to have the procedure done free of cost by an overseas medical mission that visited the island to provide surgeries for patients unable to afford treatment.

Chris-Ann Hall

“I did the surgery, and they changed the valve. No complications that I’m aware of and I’ve been okay ever since,” Hall disclosed.

“I still take all the medications that I took before the surgery,” she added. “I have to be on a blood thinner for the rest of my life, basically because the valve that I have is a mechanical mitral valve, and that can cause blood clotting.”

Now 24 years old, the mother believes her heart condition may be genetic.

“My dad has the same condition as me, so we think it’s genetic. But what’s strange is the doctors think it was during pregnancy when my valve got damaged,” she said.

Hall said the most difficult part of her journey was being separated from her daughter while hospitalised and travelling to Kingston every other week for treatment.

“During the three weeks when I was in the hospital, she couldn’t visit me because I was on the ward. When I did my surgery, I was in Kingston for a month after that and I only saw her once,” she said.

She expressed gratitude to her family, particularly her mother, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, I Have a Heart Foundation founder Abi-Gaye Smythe, and those who supported her GoFundMe campaign, which helped to fund her medication.

Hall also urged Jamaicans, particularly young people, not to ignore chest pain or unusual symptoms and to seek medical attention early.

According to the Ministry of Health, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in Jamaica, accounting for more than a third of all fatalities. February is observed as Heart Month in Jamaica, aimed at raising awareness about cardiovascular disease.

Interventional cardiologist Dr Tahira Redwood

Interventional cardiologist Dr Tahira Redwood said she has observed a slight increase in young people being diagnosed with heart disease, which she attributed in part to greater health awareness and earlier screening.

“There is a small increase in younger people being diagnosed. I do observe younger people getting heart attacks, younger people being diagnosed with heart failure, but of course these diseases are building up over years, decades, and finally presenting in that person,” Dr Redwood said. “They may be presenting in their 30s, whereas before they would have presented in their 40s and 50s, but these disease processes were starting from their 20s and are due to multiple factors.”

Dr Redwood noted that earlier diagnoses are also linked to improved health literacy.

“I think people are checking themselves out more. They are doing routine screenings like executive profiles, ECGs (electrocardiograms), or ultrasounds of the heart, also called echocardiograms, so I think there is increased health awareness from a public health standpoint,” she added.

She said some of the most common cardiovascular conditions, observed by her, include heart failure, heart attacks and rheumatic heart disease, with irregular heart rhythms more common among older patients.

“There are multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity. In my opinion, there are earlier diagnoses of heart disease likely due to the increase in obesity and chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, which can also be related to obesity,” Dr Redwood said.

She also noted that genetic predisposition, unhealthy eating habits and increasingly sedentary lifestyles are contributing risk factors.

Dr Redwood emphasised the importance of routine screenings, particularly for persons over 35 or those living with conditions such as hypertension or diabetes.