MOUNT PLEASANT, Wisc-- February is a month all about the heart and one Mount

Pleasant woman is sharing her story on how she discovered she had heart disease.

Kelsey Gumm joined the navy with a passion to serve her country. However, her service was ended short because of a health condition.

"I was really healthy and I was probably in the best shape of my life," Heart Disease Advocate, Kelsey Gumm said.

However, it wasn't until boot camp that she began to struggle with the workouts.

"I was working out at the gym one day on the base and I woke up on the floor," Gumm said.

Kelsey had passed out multiple times before with no answers, but this time a diagnosis was found.

"The doctor walked in and said… Petty Officer Gumm, I don't know how to tell you this but your career in the navy is over," Gumm said.

Gumm was diagnosed with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy. It’s a condition so rare only point-five percent of people in the world have it.

"When I'm working out or doing anything to increase my heart rate, those spongy pieces in my heart tickle the side of my heart and send my heart to beat so much faster than it should beat," Gumm said.

Her active lifestyle was put on hold which also caused her to also hold back on life.

"I was really angry at first when I was diagnosed and I spent a lot of time on the couch, I spent a lot of time watching reality TV, eating junk food, because I just didn't care," Gumm said.

Kelsey began to gain weight; she said she was terrified to work out. Within a year Gumm says she gained around 50 pounds.

"I didn't want to do anything that could potentially cause me to get shocked by my defibrillator," Gumm said.

But it wasn’t long until things began to turn around for Kelsey, when she signed up for a 30 mile bike ride with the Wounded Warrior Project.

"I just remember pulling into the fire station where we were ending and thinking holy cow, I can do this, I can get my life back," Gumm said.

Now, Kelsey owns a more positive outlook on life by eating clean and exercising.

"I don't take anything for granted anymore," Gumm said.

Gumm is now sharing her story with others in hopes of changing more lives and preventing heart disease in others.

"I talk to everybody about heart disease. I want to make sure that everyone is not as lost as I was," Gumm said.

Kelsey recently walked in the American Heart Association fashion show in New York and is studying to get a degree in public relations to help continue her work in advocating about heart disease.