Written By: Adam Decide, Affected person Advocate, Writer & Web site Founder
Printed: December 19, 2024
It’s arduous to consider.
This coming Saturday, December 21, I’ll have a good time my nineteenth anniversary of coronary heart valve surgical procedure. I’m so extremely grateful that I had a profitable Ross Process carried out by Dr. Vaughn Starnes at Keck Medication of USC in Los Angeles. Since my operation, I’ve had no cardiac points. None. Actually, at my final echocardiogram, my technician stated to me, “That is superb. Your valves look excellent.”
Along with being grateful for my fastened coronary heart, I’m grateful for the “second likelihood at life” that this sudden well being situation created for me. For the previous 19 years, I’ve executed my finest to grab every day as a possibility for journey, private development and studying. Over the past 19 years, I see issues a bit extra clearly. I get annoyed much less. I smile extra. Lots of these smiles come from serving to others.
Dr. Vaughn Starnes (My Surgeon)
HeartValveSurgery.com is massive a part of my dedication to serving to others of their time of want. Since launching this web site, I’ve been lucky to meet and companion with others much like me. Because of this, this web site has remodeled right into a vibrant neighborhood of individuals which have come collectively to help one another.
I nonetheless can’t consider how a lot we’ve grown over time.
From a tiny 3-page web site in 2006, HeartValveSurgery.com has developed into the world’s largest instructional useful resource for sufferers with over 20,000 pages of content material. And, our affected person neighborhood has gone world with greater than 550,000 social media followers. Lastly, I by no means thought HeartValveSurgery.com could be sponsoring the life-saving cardiac surgical procedures of youngsters in third-world international locations. Right here is a photograph of Nsimire who was lately helped in Uganda.
All alongside, the mission has been the identical… To assist educate and empower sufferers with coronary heart valve illness.
As I write these phrases, I’m shaking my head in disbelief and thankfulness. What an journey this has been!!!
On behalf of Robyn, my spouse, and Ethan, my son, many due to everyone on this neighborhood together with the sufferers, their households, their buddies, medical doctors, doctor assistants, nurses, hospitals, medical firms, analysis organizations and our sponsors. I’m so fortunate to know, help and/or work with all of you!
Associated Hyperlinks:
Right here’s to a different 19 years!
Adam