Heather Kern, a woman diagnosed with two kinds of heart disease, was able to lose 125 pounds and achieve her ideal weight.

Kern had an active lifestyle wherein she regularly go hiking or swimming until she gave birth to her daughter in August 2008.

Two weeks after giving birth, Kern experienced severe chest pains as well as numbness in her limbs. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). People with LVNC has muscle fibers in the lower left chamber of their heart which did not developed into solid muscle and remained as fibers. These underdeveloped muscle fibers are interfering with the heart's normal function. LVNC is a congenital disorder.

On top of that, Kern was also diagnosed with Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, a condition characterized by an abnormal heart rhythm which may lead to cardiac arrest.

Depressed and confused, the new mother started on putting on weight. Kern has already gained 40 pounds due to her pregnancy and she gained more due to her inactivity, the medicines that she was taking, the comfort she found on food.

"That first year with my daughter, I couldn't enjoy her because I was having problems, and I was sick," she shared to CNN.

Kern's weight loss undertaking started when she saw a weight loss challenge on a couponing website. The weight loss challenge focused on counting the calorie intake per day and Kern decided to join because she didn't think this will affect her heart condition.

She started cutting her intake by 500 calories a day, eating only 1, 200 calories daily. After six weeks, she lost 20 pounds and became the winner of the weight loss challenge. Now weighing only 135 pounds, Kern took a new job at a patient advocacy company.

"When I was diagnosed with heart disease, I literally thought that my life was over," she said to CNN. "But the huge weight-loss proved to me I could still do what I set my mind to. Life wasn't over; it could be wonderful."