Tracy Henty's Story

“I had a turn where I died.”

That’s how Tracy Henty describes how she ended up spending seven weeks at The Prince Charles Hospital having tests and a defibrillator implanted in her chest to stop her heart running too fast.

On 22 October, 2008, Tracy’s boss in the Sterilisation section at Greenslopes Hospital asked her if she could start work early. Tracy says that phone call saved her life. She made plans for her husband Phil to meet her at the end of the shift and walked the few minutes to work. She was in the staff room when her heart started racing and then stopped.

Tracy had previously joked with colleagues that if she ever collapsed they should just kick her under a table and get on with the job. Luckily, they liked her too much for that.

“Had my boss not phoned me and asked me to start my shift early, I would’ve been at home alone. I don’t even remember walking to work,” Tracy says.

Born with a congenital heart defect, Tracy has had various procedures over the years she can’t be bothered to recall. The long words aren’t relevant when you’re just getting on with life.

“Because I feel good, I don’t take any notice,” she says, off hand.

The major ones are memorable though.

At 11 years of age, Tracy had a shunt put in, after which she says she was OK, but not quite as healthy as the other kids. About seven years later she had some vessels cauterised after throwing up blood.

Tracy had just become engaged to Phil when it was discovered she had abscesses on her brain. Over the next eight years, they were in and out of hospital up to four times a year as the doctors tried to figure out what had caused them. One of the doctors even spoke at their wedding.

Eventually, one of Tracy’s doctors took all her files home for a long weekend and came in on Tuesday with the answer.

“When I was around 30 years old they did open heart surgery. Four months later, I had a full time job.”

The abscesses blinded Tracy’s right eye, but it’s not something either she or Phil let concern them. In fact, Phil says it has its advantages.

“Whenever we go out to dinner with friends I make sure I sit on her blind side. That way I can steal her chips without her noticing,” he admits, without a trace of regret.

Originally from New Zealand, Phil met Tracy in 1983 and gave his homeland the flick in favour of true love. Though having children isn’t an option for Tracy, the couple have two godsons, a soccer playing dog called Khan, and each other.

“We’ve been together 25 years. Everything she’s been through, I’ve been with her,” says Phil. “We’ve had our ups and downs and I think the stress has got to us a few times. It scared the hell out of me when I got that phone call.”

“They did an EP study. That’s what scared me, they were going to shut her down. We’ve had so many years together, I couldn’t imagine life without her.”

Sitting in a ward at The Prince Charles, Tracy finds the experience all a bit strange.

“I feel like I’m here under false pretences,” she says. “I don’t feel sick, I don’t look sick and I just carry on. I feel like a bit of an impostor. But if it wasn’t for my heart surgery in ’92 getting me back on my feet, things might’ve been very different.

“I’ve had a good life. I’m still having a good life. I feel very, very lucky.”

Waiting by Tracy’s hospital bed, Phil is reminded of how close he came to losing his wife. He’s full of praise for the staff at both The Prince Charles and Greenslopes Hospitals who saved Tracy and gave him so much support.

“To see what’s wrong, to know what’s wrong and what can happen any time is really quite frightening. But she’s not letting it stop her,” Phil adds. “We’re still going to travel. This won’t stop anything.”