Heart Valve Disease Personal Stories

Thelma Hill

Decades after she had rheumatic fever, Thelma learned it was a risk factor for heart valve disease, a diagnosis she received as an adult. Despite some ups and downs, Thelma has maintained a joyful attitude and a healthy lifestyle.

Jim Abraham

Jim Abraham thought he was “one and done” when he underwent open-heart surgery to repair his mitral valve in 2017. But when a test showed a new problem with his heart valve three years later, “it was a serious wake-up call” to pay closer attention to his heart health.

Kimberly Goodloe

Kimberly has experienced heart valve disease firsthand. Kimberly was born with an abnormal valve, but didn’t begin to develop symptoms until her 40s. She learned she needed an aortic valve replacement in 2009 and underwent open heart surgery, receiving a mechanical valve to replace her damaged aortic valve. Four days after her surgery, she developed a blockage and during a second surgery, she received a pacemaker. 

Mark Ridder

Mark's journey with heart valve disease began in high school, when a heart murmur was detected in a routine physical exam. Later in life he was diagnosed with aortic valve stenosis, which ultimately turned severe enough to require valve replacement surgery. He's thankful for the care and treatment he received during and after his surgery, completing a 12-week cardiac rehab program and building back up to jogging 4 miles regularly. Mark maintains a passionate interest in researching the use of nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Understanding the power of a community that can truly empathize, he decided to mentor others as an AHA Heart Valve Ambassador.

Christine Rekash

At a routine physical, Christine's physician detected a heart murmur. Upon being referred to a specialist, she was told she had mitral valve prolapse. Upon close monitoring and a watchful eye of her cardiologist through routine testing, she developed a leaking mitral valve. The condition had worsened, causing her heart to become enlarged as it worked harder to pump blood between the chambers. She had her mitral valve repaired through traditional open heart surgery and later developed post surgical complications. Christine has made it her mission to "pay it forward" and provide comfort,  encouragement and inspiration to others facing heart surgery. She shares her tips and tricks in how she is "kicking" out heart disease on beat a time in the hopes of making someone else's journey a little easier.

Debra North

Debra North was born with myxomatous mitral valve prolapse, a degenerative form of valve disease. At birth, she survived a heart attack that caused a stroke; she wasn’t expected to survive. For years, her valvular heart disease did not affect her life—she even ran track in high school. She was told she would not need a valve replacement until her 60s, however at age 30, Debra began having symptoms of valve failure which led to a repair and eventually replacement in 2016. Due to complications from her replacement, Debra expects yet another valve surgery in the future. These experiences led her to become involved with the AHA and join the Heart Valve Ambassador program to help elevate awareness about valvular heart disease.

Susan Strong

A hiker and healthy eater, Susan Strong was surprised to hear she needed heart surgery in her late 40s. But radiation therapy she had received more than three decades earlier to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma had taken its toll: Strong had developed severe aortic stenosis and regurgitation. As an ambassador, Strong is sharing her story online and in person to support fellow patients — and even to inspire her students to dream up inventions like the one she credits with saving her life. "I want to take what I’ve been through and encourage people and give them hope that they can live a full life.”

Tom Broussard

Tom underwent quadruple bypass surgery at 59. Relieved to have avoided a heart attack, he didn’t expect to have a heart valve replaced and then soon after, a debilitating stroke caused by a blood clot and then learning a few years later that he would need another heart valve replacement.

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