September Awareness 2016 - An Interview with Aorta and Heart

An Interview with Aorta and Heart

The aorta is the large artery seen rising up from the heart,
 with arteries branching upward to the head, then curving down

Two vital members of our body, Aorta and Heart, have agreed to be interviewed for Thoracic Aortic Disease Awareness Month 2016, hoping to set the record straight. They have so much to say, but for now agree to each limit this interview to their top three concerns. Aorta, being less famous, humbly lets Heart start first.

 Heart's Top Three

1. I am being confused with aortic disease in the chest.  
2. Aorta, you are so important! If you start bleeding around me, I may stop beating.
3. If it's not the Heart, check the Aorta!

Let me tell you and everyone, Aorta, being famous is not such a great thing. Have you done a search online lately, Aorta? The headlines scream about "Heart Problems", when you, Aorta, are the one with the problems. In these articles, aneurysm and dissection are mentioned - this is about you, Aorta, not me. How confusing is that! I know we are both in the chest, but in the year 2016 we should know better. There are enough problems that do belong to me, the Heart, without confusing me with aortic disease in the chest too. This is not just bad for my reputation, it is dangerous for the whole Body. We need to be very clear - is it a Heart attack, or is it the Aorta? Sometimes, in death, only an autopsy can tell for sure. I, the Heart, do not want to be blamed for deaths caused by Aorta!

Healthy Aorta

Aorta's Top Three

1. Nobody knows who I am. 
2. If they do know who I am, they seem to either not respect me or be terrified of me. 
3. Please, fix me before I break. 

People don't draw pictures of me, and I don't have a month with valentines, chocolates, and flowers dedicated to me. I guess no one ever thought that love was in their Aorta! Once you get to know me though, I am pretty amazing in my own right. There is just a lot of misunderstanding about me. Those who know me best do respect me and want to help me.

I have no desire to tear inside, or worse yet, fully break open. I'll admit, I'm not easy to work on, but it's going to be a lot worse for everyone involved if I start to bleed.  I'm so sorry that no one knows just when I may finally reach my breaking point. There are some clues, but knowing when to fix me is still a big challenge today. Maybe if I become a little more famous, more research will finally be funded. 

Thank you for giving me a special month of my own. I don't need the chocolates and flowers, just some attention! Please let me be clear, Heart does have a lot of problems. Just don't forget about me, your Aorta.  I hope September Awareness 2016 will help everyone learn more about me!

End of the Interview

The interview ended with Heart and Aorta acknowledging how close they are, special friends in the chest one might say. In health, they work together beautifully. They each just want their separate identities and problems to be understood, respected, and treated. They both deserve help and attention when they are diseased. After all, no one wants to be known as a killer. 

Before they left, Heart and Aorta enthusiastically repeated together, along with the interviewer, 

If it's not the Heart, check the Aorta! 

Learning Together

We are

Creating a Climate

of Hope!

                                           - Bicuspid Aortic Foundation

September 2016 Awareness Month - It's All About the "Big A" in the Chest!

Normal Aorta

The aorta is so important,

 we call it the "Big A"! 

To baseball fans in the US, the Big A means Angels Stadium in southern California. At the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation, we mean something else; to us, the Big A is the aorta in the chest. It is the largest artery in our bodies, and it's proper functioning is without question vital to our lives.

Why does the aorta need its own awareness month, September?

Maybe the aorta could just share February with the heart?

Tragedies happen when no one thinks about the aorta. In the emergency room (ER), someone with chest pain will be checked for a heart attack. The blood tests come back normal, so is the EKG. It's not the heart.

No one thinks of the aorta.

The minutes go by, turning into hours. Sometimes the person is still in the ER, sometimes they are back home. Suddenly, they are dead. The opportunity to help them was missed. 

All because no one thought about the aorta.

This is one reason that the aorta needs its own month - just to help everyone think about it in time.

Aorta with aneurysm

Another reason is that aortic disease is very different from what is typically called heart disease. The treatment is different too.

Aortic disease is not heart disease!

If it's not the heart, check the aorta! 

Let's Learn All About the Big A this September!

In a nutshell, this large, high pressure artery should not be confused with the heart. Having its own month provides a time to learn about the aorta in the chest: what it does, the risks aortic disease presents to us, and the treatment available when needed. 

At the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation, we will spend this September featuring articles on the following topics:

• Thoracic Aorta - what it is, what it does
• Thoracic Aortic Disease
• Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
• Thoracic Aortic Dissection
• Thoracic Aortic Coarctation

We will also honor the memory of those who were cruelly taken from us by thoracic aortic disease, and the courage of those who live with injury caused by thoracic aortic disease.

Shining a spotlight on 

the Big A,

Together we are

Learning, Sharing,

Empowering each other,

Creating a Climate of Hope.