Valmire Hoti comes from Kosovo. When she was born there in 1986, doctors noticed that something was wrong. However, her first examination did not take place until a year later – in Belgrade. There they discovered that Valmire had a single-chamber heart.

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However, she did not have her first operation until she was seven years old – in Zurich. It took that long for all the formalities for moving to Switzerland to be completed. "I spent my seventh birthday in the hospital in Zurich." But the fact that she survived until the age of seven with a single-chamber heart is nothing short of a miracle.

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Valmire's heart sounded the alarm again when she was 21. She began to suffer from cardiac arrhythmia, which led to another operation at the age of 22. She had a pacemaker fitted, but it caused her so much pain that it was removed two years later. "The cables are still in there in case it becomes necessary again," says Valmire. And that is not impossible, because her heart defect is always present: "When I vacuum the apartment, the day is done." Valmire has to manage her energy – a challenge not only for her, but also for her family.

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Valmire's heart determines her everyday life. But it is her family that drives her on and gives her the strength to keep achieving amazing things. So at the age of 30, Valmire decided to have a child. The doctors advised against it – the risk for her was too great, the chance of her even becoming pregnant was too small, and if she did, there was an increased chance that her child would also have the same heart defect as her mother. Valmire wanted to know nothing of all this. It took several attempts, but she never gave up. She continued with an iron will and finally gave birth to a healthy daughter.

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Today, Valmire is the first mother in Switzerland with a Fontan heart – a phenomenon. Her child is two years old and proves to her parents every day that the fight was worth it. And even though Valmire has now experienced first-hand how much strength it takes to achieve such a goal – she would do it again any time. Valmire has only one thing to recommend to other women who want to become pregnant with a heart defect: to have a thorough examination and very good medical support. And otherwise to follow your heart.