How Heart Disease Changed a Military Career

Kelsey passed out while working out and the nurse practitioner decided to run a test to see if it could be related to heart disease. No one expected the results that discover she has a rare heart disease and her career in the military was over. But it was. Kelsey shares her experience in the Navy along with the challenge of transitioning and work she does today as the host of A Veterans Podcast

Meeting a Medical Board in the Military

Kesley was considering military service and then 9/11 happened and she decided that she would serve in the Navy. September 11th happened her sophomore year of high school so she began the process to enlist her senior year. She graduated college and headed off to boot camp in July. Her first career choice was not a good fit for her and she ended up cross-training to be a new career field that had less complicated math. She put Florida on her dream sheet but the Navy needed her to go to Japan instead.

Being overseas and young

She said she made a lot of mistakes overseas and learned how to be an adult in Japan. She also was sent underway for three-month rotations at sea. After that tour she left the military and transitioned back to civilian life. It was 2008, and the recession was happening. She ended up going back into the Navy and this time was assigned in California. There she had her first deployment. They were rerouted on their way to the middle east to respond to the hurricane and tsunami that happened in Japan in 2011. She was so busy from working she barely had time to sleep and eat. But once their mission was over they were still on deployment and headed to the Persian Gulf. The ops tempo was hard and she was ready to go home.

After California, she was ready for shore duty and moved to work at the Boot Camp training center at Great Lakes. One day while working out she passed out at the gym. She remembers waking up and not being able to feel her arms and legs. She went to the ER and after being checked out was cleared but the nurse practitioner wanted to do a test to check her heart. Just in case.

Heart disease diagnosis

Six weeks after she passed out she went to the doctor for the test and they found something wrong with her heart. Her career in the military was over. Heart disease is the most common killer of women and not something people talk about so Kelsey works to advocate to help people learn more about heart disease.

She was not planning to leave the military, so the transition out was difficult. She was med-boarded out of the military and began her new career. Her job as a podcaster lets her talk to veterans and hear the stories of and not feel so alone.

Connect with Kelsey

aveteranspodcast.com
wisvetsnet.org
FB: aveteranspodast and wisvetsnet
IG: aveteranspodcast

Mentioned in this episode

Episode 137: Cohen Veterans Network

A Veterans Podcast: Episode 27: Amanda Huffman

Girl’s Guide to the Military

Related Episodes

Seeing the World with the Navy – Episode 9

From the Navy to Entrepreneur – Episode 27

An Unexpected End to a Career in the US Navy – Episode 83

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