This September 2022, we reflect on the 20 year experience of one man. Despite the odds against him, he is not only still alive but fully enjoying life in his early 70's! While there is special focus on the aorta in September, his experience is a reminder that there can be multiple dangers, both heart and aorta, to someone's health and life.
Family History - 14 Men, Sudden Death Before Age 65
Willie, not his real name, has a formidable history of sudden death in his father's family. Fourteen men "dropped dead" before the age of 65. They never reached the hospital alive.
What was it about these men that doomed them? What took them suddenly? Was it a massive heart attack? Could it have been something very different, a torn or ruptured aorta in the chest? What about sudden death from undiagnosed aortic valve disease? Willie has managed to proactively prevent harm from all of those things: aortic valve, aortic aneurysm, coronary artery blockage.
It could have been very different, as it was for many in his family.
Willie was born with BAV, but like many he had no awareness of it. Discovered at around age 50, his BAV was not working well and his aorta was bulging above his heart and needed surgery. Fast forward 20 years after successful aortic valve and aneurysm surgery, and his biological aortic valve was in major trouble. He also had developed CAD (coronary artery disease)!
All of these reached a point where he needed treatment, but all of them were also "silent" in his body. No symptoms. When asked how he feels now, after the most recent treatments, Willie says he feels well but adds that he has never felt unwell. No chest pain, no shortness of breath, nothing....
Today, he is a triumphant example of living well despite these silent threats, due to:
- proactive diagnosis
- seeking information and second opinions
- timely treatment
- ongoing care
Breaking the Pattern of Sudden Death
Willie has overcome that horrendous history, and is grateful to be alive and well now, as he enters his early 70's! Even without any physical warning signs, he was treated in time to prevent injury or sudden death from:
- bicuspid aortic valvular disease
- ascending aortic aneurysm
- prosthetic aortic valve failure
- coronary artery blockage
It is very special to share in his joy in being alive and well.
During September Awareness 2022,
we share his proactive triumph
over BAV/TAD
and CAD,
Creating a Climate of Hope,
~ The Bicuspid Aortic Foundation
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