I know exactly how you are feeling. My 82 year old mother just had her aortic valve replaced on 5/21/09. We were all worried about her undergoing such a major surgery at that age and the complications that might arise. She wanted to have the surgery because she is still active and healthy in all other respects. She had the surgery done by Dr. Lawrence Cohn at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. The surgery was a total success and her recovery has been amazingly smooth. At 5 weeks post-op, she is driving and getting ready to start cardiac rehab.