Palm Coast woman receives life-saving heart transplant after decades-long battle

PALM COAST, Fla. - Denise Beaulieu has a new lease on life after receiving an unexpected heart transplant right before Christmas. 

"I was so tired after so many pacemakers, just my quality of life got really, really...I couldn’t even walk very far," Denise Beaulieu told FOX35. 

The 52-year-old Palm Coast woman has been battling heart problems for more than two decades. 

After different procedures, countless pacemakers and even a heart attack, she was in need of a new heart. 

Beaulieu sat on the heart transplant list for 14 months and almost gave up hope until she got the best call of her life. 

"I had told Glenn I couldn’t do this anymore and I didn’t want to put my family through this. So I was discouraged and thought maybe I should get off the list," Denise Beaulieu said. "I just feel so fortunate. I want to thank the donor family."

Even with insurance, the Beaulieu family has racked up a lot of medical bills. 

Right now, Denise and her husband, Glenn are living in California as she receives treatments from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. 

So they pay rent and a mortgage back in Florida, and money's really tight.

"Even next month we don’t know where the…we got to trust God that the money’s going to be there. Because it’s getting down to like a couple of hundred dollars and it’s scary because we shouldn’t have to worry about things like that," Glenn Beaulieu said. 

Denises' family started a gofundme account to help offset the costs of medical expenses.

Despsite the many obstacles it took to get here, the Beaulieus are grateful.

"I just feel so fortunate. I can’t thank the donor family. I hope one day I get to meet them," Denise Beaulieu said.