Video gaming helps heart defect survivor connect with others in the LGBTQ community and beyond

Mike Lane's heart journey began as a newborn – when his skin turned blue.

在他出生两天后，一位心脏病专家发现了原因. 他生来就有几处先天性心脏缺陷, 包括缺失的室间隔, 肺动脉狭窄称为狭窄, 肺动脉瓣膜有问题. 在接下来的几周和几个月里, even the most minor activity exhausted him so much that "we tried to keep him calm, 这样他就不会哭了,他的祖母说, Norma Lane, a nurse.

Ten months later, doctors opened his chest and attempted to repair the defects. 他们无法全部修好.

在他的早年, 这些问题继续消耗着迈克的精力, 这让他很难跟上同龄人的步伐. 这导致他很难与同龄的孩子相处.

"Everybody looked at me like they were going to catch my chronic illness," he said.

One day, Mike noticed his grandfather had a scar on his chest, just like Mike did. His grandfather's scar came from open-heart surgery following a heart attack. 但他们从未真正谈论过, knowing he had this in common with someone he loved helped Mike feel less alone.

Mike was 12 when doctors said it was time to again try replacing the faulty valve. 手术那天，他歇斯底里地抽泣着.

“我真的不知道我是否会醒过来，”他说.

这一次，医生给了他一个新的瓣膜. 通过这样做，他们给了他一个新的生命.

他比以往任何时候都更加精力充沛，参加了爱德华. 在伯克郡山区的疯狂敞开心扉夏令营. Meeting other kids like him "was one of the best experiences in my life," he said.

Why?

"For the first time, I wasn't alone," said Mike, who lives in the Boston area.

当他20岁的时候，医生告诉他是时候换一个新瓣膜了. 他之前做过两次心脏直视手术, he was relieved to have the replacement done through a non-invasive catheterization procedure.

迈克康复后，决定认真玩电子游戏.

在迈克没有精力赶上同龄人的那些年里, he said gaming "took my mind off of the pain and the exhaustion that I constantly felt."

22岁时，他开始在YouTube上发布自己打球的视频. 后来他开始在Twitch上直播. Using the name Supercaliy, he has nearly 12,000 followers and has made friends all over the world.

“我开始建立社区，”他说. 这也成了他支付账单的方式. “人们喜欢支持他们喜欢看的内容创作者."

有些玩家更喜欢动作或恐怖主题的游戏. 其他人则更喜欢基于叙述的体验. 迈克是著名的综艺主持人.

“我从来没有真正坚持过一件事，”他说.

He talked openly about his recovery and ongoing health issues with his audience – something that differentiates him from the other gamers.

He hopes to normalize chronic illness "without it being some kind of sob story," he said.

"People in my stream talk about how much they appreciate that I talk about my health, 这感觉很棒," he said.

迈克向观众敞开心扉，因为他正在建立一个社区. 在他所爱的人中间, though, he doesn't talk much about his heart defects and how they influenced the trajectory of his life.

“当一个人出生时患有慢性疾病, they never complain because they don't know what it is to feel good," Norma said. “迈克尔从不抱怨任何事情."

Mike also uses his platform to connect with others in the LGBTQ community. 16岁时，他开始和在网上认识的另一个十几岁的男孩约会.

通过随时随地分享他的故事, Mike hopes to connect with anyone who sees their life reflected in his.

“我不是世界上唯一一个有这些问题的人, 但我花了很长沙巴足球体育平台才找到我能感同身受的人," he said. “我想让人们看到，他们并不孤单."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

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