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I was born with aortic stenosis and an aneurysm, so I’ve always lived knowing I had a heart condition that would one day need to be fixed. From as early as I can remember, the possibility of open heart surgery was always in the back of my mind. At every cardiologist check-up, I would pray I wouldn’t hear the words its time. For years, those prayers were answered until they weren’t.
In 2023, I had my regular checkup scheduled, but it was unexpectedly postponed until after my husband and I returned from a trip to New York. Looking back, I think that delay happened for a reason. My husband and I were able to have one last normal vacation before everything changed.
At the rescheduled appointment, my cardiologist asked us to step into another room. There, he pulled up my MRI and showed me detailed images of my heart. The stenosis had progressed to the point where it was time to develop a game plan. I had about a year’s window to meet with surgeons, choose one, and schedule the procedure. Talk about crunch time.
I used that full year to prepare mentally and try not to have a breakdown (many breakdowns were had). I researched every surgeon I could find. I met with doctors in both Louisville and Cincinnati, determined to find the person I trusted most and who made me and my husband feel comfortable. That person turned out to be Dr. J. Michael Smith with Christ Hospital, someone who had performed open heart surgery on my aunt years ago.
We set the date for November 18, 2024. But in the most surreal moment, as I was already in the hospital room getting IVs hooked up, my surgery was canceled. Dr. Smith came in and said he wasn’t feeling well and did not feel comfortable performing my surgery. The mental toll of preparing for something that big, only to have it called off at the last minute, is hard to put into words.
Three days later, though, the universe aligned. My surgery was rescheduled for November 21st(my wedding anniversary and my favorite number). So many little signs told me everything would be okay. They put me in room 21. The date matched the number that had been a guiding thread for me. It is crazy how things like this just happen, and you know. I should make a list of the times 21 has shown up, and it’s been something magical.
On November 21, 2024, Dr. Smith performed my Ross procedure (heart surgery where your own healthy pulmonary valve is moved to replace your diseased aortic valve, and then a donor valve is used to replace the pulmonary valve) and repaired my aneurysm. He later shared with my husband that he was so glad we did both procedures because the valve was much worse than the images showed.
I am now 9 months post-surgery. Just like that, the surgery I had feared my whole life became the one that gave me a healthier future and will now prolong my life. I am a proud tissue recipient, and I’m so thankful for my time at KODA because it truly prepared me for the aftercare process and allowed me to hear inspiring stories from other recipients, and I had a network of people I could reach out to if I had questions. While I haven’t worked there in some time now the team there is amazing, and I’m forever grateful for the time I spent with them.
I’m proud that I can continue to advocate for organ and tissue donation.
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