Woman who lost her brother to rare heart condition pursues master's in researching the same

Life often comes with challenges that change our outlook on life. Sometimes we fail to notice that the challenges life brings are for a reason. What we assume to be the end of our story and a devastating blow is just a seed sown for beginning a new chapter. If you go back and think of any challenges you have faced, you’ll realize that you’ve grown as a person or maybe added an enlightening experience to your life. It all boils down to how you look at these setbacks and what you do when you’re faced with the same. Molly Schiller touched the hearts of many when she shared how she brought something positive out of the biggest heartbreak of her life.

Schiller took to Twitter to post about one of her accomplishments that stemmed from one of the most brutal blows life served her. She posted a picture of herself with her younger brother Max and wrote: "In 2015, my little brother passed away at the age of 10 from a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy." What followed for her after that was a path that was designed to not only soothe her heart but also that of a million others. To give a gist of the condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a kind of illness that affects the left ventricle of the heart. As the name suggests, it has a lot to do with the functioning of the heart. The left ventricle gets weak and stiff, restricting efficient pumping of blood.

The condition is a very rare one and is fatal. This loss must have been a heartbreaking one for Schiller and her family. However, Schiller picked herself up and faced her challenges head-on, holding her brother Max in her heart. Her post further read, "Six years later, I have submitted a master"s dissertation researching the genetic causes for the same. I hope you'd be proud of me Max."

When you lose a loved one, the first thoughts are that of helplessness. You can’t help but wonder why you couldn’t help to keep them here. That’s exactly what Schiller felt and that painstaking hit on her heart pushed her to pursue a master’s in the same field. As her post suggests, years later, she has completed a milestone by taking one step forward to finding cures and helping others not face the fate Max did.

Schiller also started the ‘Max’s Foundation’ shortly after the passing of her brother. In his memory, the foundation collects funds to support the research for detecting causes and treatment of this heart condition. Schiller and her team have been carrying forward this good deed by organizing gigs, events and several other activities. The foundation also aims to spread awareness of this heart condition and there have been several interviews and talks with Schiller and members of the team. Several commenters on Twitter supported Schiller and even donated to Max’s foundation.

Tweets flowed in consoling and congratulating Schiller. @Katie1Davis said, “I’ve just seen this! I am so proud of you! Well done and I can’t wait to see what your future holds!” @charredfredo said, “This is amazing! Our son passed away last year at the age of 11 from an undiagnosed heart condition and the pain is constant. You have prevailed which gives me hope.” Schiller used her challenge to become a ray of hope for others. Her brother’s death, which was once a weakness, is now her motivation to keep going and give him light and life by helping many others in the future.