TULSA, Okla. — Jara Herron is celebrating 20 years in business. That is a feat 13 years ago no doctor thought possible.
“I got my last rights more than once,” Herron said. “No doctor was prepared for me to survive.”
Ten days after the birth of her sixth child, Herron suffered a type of heart attack called a SCAD. And that was just the beginning.
“Everything I experienced individually could have killed me, let alone in one setting in a hospital,” said Herron.
That “everything” includes a cardiogenic shock, a gastrointestinal bleed, kidney failure, acute respiratory distress, a tracheotomy, and an infected lung clot.
Doctors told her she was too sick to be eligible for a heart transplant.
She was eventually released from the hospital.
“And rebounded, I would say, 150%,” she said.
To say the least.
Herron went on to have a seventh child, open two more salons and now she is opening the Artisan Institute, a cosmetology school.
She contributes several things, including another miraculous incident. Two weeks before Herron’s incident, a doctor at St. John learned about a cutting edge technology called the Impella, a temporary heart pump.
“They actually flew the rep in from Houston to train the staff on how to use it, so I was the first person in the region to use one under these circumstances,” she said. “My study was a contribution to the FDA approval for that device to be used to treat cardiogenic shock.”
Herron went on to advocate for the device in a global media tour.
She also contributes her survival to a positive attitude.
“I think mentally we don’t give ourselves enough power of how we be the boss of how we feel each and every day,” she said.
If you’re wondering, how does she do it all?
“It has a secret sauce,” she said. “It’s called a stay-at-home husband.”
Herron said she wouldn’t be opening her new school without her husband’s support.
Her newly enrolled students say she is not just a name on a façade and appreciate her personal approach.
“She is lovely, she is super helpful and wants everybody to have the opportunity to have the best,” said Izzy Morton.
Katherine Lam was persuaded by Herron’s nurturing, hands-on style.
“She showed me the school had different rooms where I can have a ‘real’ experience instead of a big room with a bunch of people,” said Lam.
Herron lives with a chronic heart condition but suffered no brain damage. Her mind may be clearer than ever.
“You’re here for a reason and you have purpose,” she said.
One more feat for Herron: she’s a record holder at S.t John for the most IV pumps at one time, 28.
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