Jenny Högström was born in 1986 in Luleå, Sweden, with a truncus arteriosus communis - her aorta and pulmonary artery were not separated and her heart valve was not functional. When Jenny was six months old, her heart was repaired. At the age of twelve, she received a new valve that matched her body size. Today, Jenny is 33 years old and has not needed an operation since she was twelve.

 

As a child, Jenny did sports like everyone else, played football, went swimming. The heart defect never played a big role. Annual check-ups and a scar on her chest - that's what set her apart from other children. But she never had the feeling that she couldn't do something or wasn't allowed to do something she wanted to do.

 

At the age of 16, Jenny decided to become a professional singer. After several years of singing training, she moved to Switzerland to study at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, where she graduated with distinction in 2012. When a singer has to perform at the highest physical level, Jenny sometimes reached her limits. But that wasn't because of her heart, but because of nervousness and stage fright.

 

The fact that Jenny developed myocarditis in 2017 was not due to a heart valve defect, as this type of inflammation of the heart muscle can also occur in completely healthy people. But the complication brought her into contact with Dr. Daniel Tobler in Basel. He noticed how extraordinarily good Jenny's constitution was. During the conversation, they tried to find reasons for this. Was it possible that it was due to singing? That the breathing exercises and fitness training helped Jenny's heart to be healthier?

 

Together they launched the Heart Choir project: Led by Jenny Högström, those affected by heart defects prepared for a choir concert for twelve weeks. Each rehearsal began with breathing exercises from the world of professional singing. The singers were tested and their results checked. At the same time, those affected who did not take part in the choir were also checked. The comparison was striking: after just a short time, a noticeable improvement in various values was measurable among the singers in the choir. But that's not all, because apart from the improvement in health, the project was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

 

The experience with the Herzchor was so positive that it did not stop at a pilot study. The choir will continue to exist as a permanent institution. Jenny Högström will continue to lead it. And the next concert is already being planned.