Mecklenburg County commissioner says she needs a heart transplant
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Yvette-Townsend Ingram says she needs a heart transplant and recently received open-heart surgery.
Townsend Ingram announced in a Facebook post Thursday morning she recently had heart surgery and is waiting for a transplant. She’s been absent from multiple recent commission meetings.
First elected in 2024, the at-large Democrat advanced to the general election from a primary in March. She is unopposed in November.
Townsend-Ingram said on social media Thursday she was sent to the emergency room by her cardiologist April 22, where she was “evaluated for a heart transplant due to severe heart disease, which runs in my family.” She then underwent open-heart surgery May 12 “for support until I get a heart transplant.”
“I’m alive & I feel good. I have a new mission, another focus,” Townsend-Ingram wrote.
The commissioner added that her sister died this month “from the exact same problem with her heart.” She encouraged people to pay attention to their health, noting that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S.
“I’m pretty full. Still emotional. Still adjusting. But I want to focus on my blessings,” Townsend-Ingram wrote. “I want to focus on the assignment, because obviously my assignment has been made plain!”
