A young woman who was living a “fast life” of binge-drinking, late-night meals and frequent holidays has been stopped in her tracks after suffering heart failure aged just 30.
Swati Chakraborty was the centre of her vibrant social circle.
She planned the group parties and dinners, rallied people to go out for drinks and would jet off on trips at a moment’s notice.
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But this all stopped in a heartbeat when she came face-to-face with death.
Doctors found her ticker was only beating at 25% capacity, meaning she would need a radical lifestyle change – and may not be able to have children without high risk.
“I cry every now and then about it all because it’s the first time I’m truly faced with my mortality,” the account director told Need To Know.
“I loved hosting – I organised dinners, bar crawls, food crawls and other events to get all my friends to meet one another.
“That’s what I was known for, and I loved that.
“Now, I feel debilitated and that life is passing me by.
“My heart is pumping at a rate of 25%, when it normally should be between 50 and 70% and my cardiac output index is 1.8 when it normally should be 2.6 to 4.
“Heart failure has no cure – only management.
“I had to stop binge drinking and follow a strict low-sodium, salt-free diet, and I can’t drive because I am hooked up to intravenous medication and am at risk of cardiac arrest.
“[Before the heart failure], my health was always at the back of my mind, but I was living such a fast-paced life so it felt like it balanced out.
“Yes I was drinking and eating 3am tacos on the weekends, but I was also always on the go, walking everywhere, and rarely feeling low in energy even at the old age of 30.
“I worry about dating even more now.
“It was already hard before when I was going out trying to meet people but now I have this invisible illness and have to say, ‘I’m sober but not by choice – I’m still fun I swear!’.
“I could literally ruin my heart if I get drunk.
“I am also unsure about kids in the future.
“Pregnancy can be very dangerous for people with heart problems so that’s something else I’ve been dwelling on.”
Swati, who hails from Jersey, first noticed her health declining late last year, when she got sick with a heavy cough and shortness of breath, with her doctor prescribing drugs for a post-nasal drip.
With symptoms persisting, she returned to the clinic once more and was told she may be suffering from bronchitis.
By the third doctor visit, she was sent for an X-ray where it was discovered she had lung damage, but would be “fine in a few days” with the right medication.
She was not.
On 4 January 2026, the young woman was taken for an electrocardiogram and diagnosed with a weak heart.
Swati, who works as an account director at a digital marketing start-up, said: “Right now, with my heart failure, I am still in a waiting period, which is the case for heart health.
“The hardest adjustment is not medically but mentally.
“I am 30 and have moved back in with my parents after moving out eight years ago.
“Before, I lived in a wonderful neighbourhood that was diverse and full of life and I am an extremely social person.
“I speak to my friends regularly who fill me in about their lives but when I am asked about myself, I don’t have anything new to share anymore.
“It’s only been two months of this but I was a very fast-paced person who hates wasting time, so feeling like I’m losing it really sucks.”
Despite the health setback, Swati holds hope for the future.
She added: “Medicine has come so far – people in their 80s get heart transplants all the time and recover.
“But it’s still crazy to realize that my likelihood of dying has statistically increased.
“But hopefully it will be gone by April or May and I can move back to New York City.
“Maybe with a heart transplant in the future, I’ll be able to indulge a little bit here and there again.
“I hate to put it that way but it’s true.
“I can only take this day by day.
“I cannot predict my future but I can trust myself, my doctors, medicine and family and friends to help me through this uncertain time.”
