Sharing stories is one of the most powerful ways we can connect with our audiences in marketing. Our brands, who we serve, and what we stand for are all tied up in our story.
Even in business, those stories are often personal.
In this week’s blog, our founder Heidi shares hers – and why it matters to your marketing.
The challenges her family faced are why we serve the healthcare and MedTech industry at Versterken Marketing today, to support medical advancements that had such a profound impact on Heidi’s own family.
“My childhood set a foundation where I learned how to compartmentalize emotions and focus in medical situations. It could have led me to becoming a nurse, but I’ve decided to serve the industry in a different way.”
When Heidi was eight years old, her mom contracted a virus that led to lifelong health issues.
Coincidentally, the movie Beaches, with Bette Middler, had recently come out, and portrayed a story so close to home. In the movie, one of the main characters contracted a virus that damaged her heart.
“I remember using the movie as an example to explain to my friends what was wrong with my mom. She had decreased heart function as a result of a viral infection, just like the character.”
Both Heidi’s mom and the character Hillary had viral cardiomyopathy.
But unlike Hillary, her mom survived the ordeal and was able to watch her children grow up and is still with us today, more than 35 years later.
This is thanks to the incredible advances in medical technology that took place during the 80s and 90s.
“So to answer the question, as time has passed my focus has naturally pivoted to MedTech and Healthcare, so our team can work with companies that make a difference to families like mine.”
“At the most severe point, my mom’s heart function had decreased to below 30% and she developed VA. It was a scary time for all of us. She was prescribed a variety of medications and we all became involved in her long journey to recovery.”
From the age of eight, Heidi was taught CPR and what to do in an emergency if her mom wasn’t responsive.
According to studies, immediate CPR can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival from cardiac arrest. Those odds are even more improved when combined with early defibrillation, with survival rates of up to 75% in cases of cardiac arrest.
This is yet another example of how important medical education truly is.
But learning CPR wasn’t enough and Heidi’s mom’s journey would prove to be a rocky one. As she continued to struggle, it became clear to her medical team that more intensive interventions were necessary.
Then, in the late 1980s, she became one of the first patients in the world to receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). At that time, this was still experimental technology.
A device the size of a Walkman was implanted in her abdomen with two patch electrodes connected to her heart to deliver shocks when an arrhythmia was detected.
Many in the medical community found it extreme or even inhumane.
“As a child this technology fascinated me and I carry this fascination with me still today.”
Fortunately, much of the early development of ICD technology took place in Minnesota – just a short journey from Heidi’s family home in River Falls, Wisconsin – where two of the leaders in implantable cardiac technology are still headquartered today.
At that time, the ICD brought as many challenges as it did solutions. Early ICD algorithms were basic and didn’t account for normal changes in heart rhythms during activities like sleep or exercise. Heidi’s mom would occasionally receive shocks while conscious with normal heart function.
On top of all of this, many medical professionals were uneducated about it, and in some cases, unwilling to work with it.
“During one significant event, she had to be airlifted from our small-town hospital to a regional medical center just over the border in Minnesota, but the medical team didn’t want to load her into the helicopter. They were concerned that they would also be shocked by her device. My dad had driven the 35 minute distance to the hospital before they had even loaded my mom into the helicopter. That lack of education could have cost her her life.”
“By 1997, my mom had received a pacemaker that worked in combination with her ICD. By the early 2000s, further advancement brought us a combined pacemaker-ICD – that was less than a third of the size of the original ICD with abilities we never could have imagined.”
Some devices even report to be able to predict heart attacks weeks in advance.
“My mom’s journey to recovery from viral cardiomyopathy had a profound impact on me.”
As a child, Heidi learned early that proper medical education is essential for everyone and she has continued to be fascinated by medical technology.
For over 30 years, the MedTech field has paved the way forward for people like Heidi’s mom.
50 years ago, the prognosis for many cardiac patients was grim. Today, with each advancement in medical technology, the path forward becomes smoother and easier.
That’s why we exist to be the marketing arm for companies in healthcare and MedTech – to help brands we partner with to reach more of their audience and connect them with the technology that can have a profound impact on their lives.
Are you a healthcare or MedTech brand looking for a strategic partner to drive your marketing efforts?
With our team of specialists in marketing, brand development, conversion copywriting, and design, we’re here to be your marketing partner. Get in touch to chat with Heidi about how we can help you tell your brand’s story today.
Sources:
Improvements in 25 Years of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Therapy:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021193/
Patient education: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (Beyond the Basics):
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/implantable-cardioverter-defibrillators-beyond-the-basics/print
Recent advances and controversies in adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8466558/
Clinical relevance of arrhythmias during sleep: guidance for clinicians:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1768090/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7433784/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022522319392864
https://www.medicoverhospitals.in/diseases/myocarditis/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocarditis
