Shavini Fernando took charge of her health after being diagnosed with Eisenmenger syndrome at age 33.

Fernando is the founder and CEO of OxiWear, an ear-worn vitals monitoring and emergency device that can monitor a person’s oxygen levels, alert them when they’re getting low, and notify the appropriate medical authorities if necessary.

Her condition was the result of an untreated atrial septal defect, a birth defect that results in a hole near the heart. Fernando said she had breathing problems her entire life, but doctors simply diagnosed her with asthma as a child. She had visited more than 50 doctors and tried different medications and inhalers before she got to the root of the problem.

Fernando learned of her atrial septal defect in 2015 from her doctor in Sri Lanka, who told her at the time that she had only two years to live. Unwilling to accept such a grim diagnosis, she came to the US for a second opinion at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with Eisenmenger syndrome.