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“I just went in for an annual check-up. After listening to my heart, my doctor told me I had a heart murmur. I never knew I had a heart murmur, and I didn’t know much about them. The images ... Read more.
“I just went in for an annual check-up. After listening to my heart, my doctor told me I had a heart murmur. I never knew I had a heart murmur, and I didn’t know much about them. The images showed that I had a severe mitral valve prolapse.
We made the decision, at the time, to keep an eye on it for a year because I had no symptoms. Based on my second echocardiogram, it was determined that my mitral valve prolapse had progressed, and it was time for surgery. Now, I am ecstatic to say that my wife and I just returned from a 10-day holiday in Saint Lucia which included four scuba dives.
Dr. Castillo-Sang gave me the confidence that I would be able to dive again, and he was 100% correct."
-- Gary Fabre, heart valve patient

Upcoming Patient Surgeries
Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
I volunteer for a local Vet organization too:)
All the best for your surgery. Hoping everything goes well and you feel much better soon.
"


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"

Little steps . One day at a time .
You are doing great ! "
Morning Rita ,
It ‘s very windy here today !!!"
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I highly recommend talking to Dr El-Hamamsy and Mt Sinai hospital in New York City if yo ... Read more
I highly recommend talking to Dr El-Hamamsy and Mt Sinai hospital in New York City if you are considering a Ross procedure.
He is one of the top Ross surgeons in your area.
My experience was A+ with the whole team there.
I had a calcified BAV and a 5 cm aneurysm and had a Ross at Mt Sinai in September 2023. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
I do expect recovery to be in a snap!!!

Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
I'm glad to hear from you too!
I am doing well!
I'm glad you are going to be abl ... Read more
I'm glad to hear from you too!
I am doing well!
I'm glad you are going to be able to move forward with your knee replacement now and hope you have a good rehab program nearby for your knee recovery.
How soon is your knee replacement?

Bicuspid Aortic Valves: Key Indicators for Timing Surgery
Doctor Interviewed:
Dr. Marko Boskovski
Bicuspid Aortic Valves: Key Indicators for Timing Surgery
Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.


much a ... Read more
much and hope to provide the same support. I will update later on tonight the extra time on the heart lung machine got the best of me for a while.

Hope you're feeling a little better every day. Take your time. You'll resume your normal activities before you know it.

At the recent 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in San... Read More.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) and mitral valve regurgitation are often interconnected. Mitral regurgitation occurs when... Read More.




Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
I had a consult with Dr Castillo -Sang before my surgery but he prefers to do robotic su ... Read more
I had a consult with Dr Castillo -Sang before my surgery but he prefers to do robotic surgery which was not an option for me because I had an aneurysm that needed to be replaced as well as a valve. I also consulted with Dr Geoffrey Answini at Christ Hospital who I heard great things about. If I had stayed local I would have probably gone with him.
In the end I decided I wanted a Ross procedure and consulted with Dr El-Hamamsy, a top Ross surgeon at Mt Sinai in New York and knew he was my first choice of surgeons.
I recommend doing more than one consult before you decide on a surgeon.


“I just went in for an annual check-up. After listening to my heart, my doctor told me I had a heart murmur. I never knew I had a heart murmur, and I didn’t know much about them. The images ... Read more.
“I just went in for an annual check-up. After listening to my heart, my doctor told me I had a heart murmur. I never knew I had a heart murmur, and I didn’t know much about them. The images showed that I had a severe mitral valve prolapse.
We made the decision, at the time, to keep an eye on it for a year because I had no symptoms. Based on my second echocardiogram, it was determined that my mitral valve prolapse had progressed, and it was time for surgery. Now, I am ecstatic to say that my wife and I just returned from a 10-day holiday in Saint Lucia which included four scuba dives.
Dr. Castillo-Sang gave me the confidence that I would be able to dive again, and he was 100% correct."
-- Gary Fabre, heart valve patient
So true Rose !!!

Check out the new edits to 'My Story' page by clicking here.
Welcome

Hi Kate

I agree .
I think that our experience of surgery was very different too , during a pandemic .
No visitors were allowed .
Everyone has... Read more
I agree .
I think that our experience of surgery was very different too , during a pandemic .
No visitors were allowed .
Everyone has a difference experience and everyone is an individual and their valve (s) !!!


Welcome

You are going through all the same stuff I did - in 2016. I remember it all so well. Slow heart rate (the alarm kept going off), ...Read more
You are going through all the same stuff I did - in 2016. I remember it all so well. Slow heart rate (the alarm kept going off), the water weight, the tubes in my chest. You will always remember this stuff, but it gets better every day. Does the food still come in those green dishes? It sounds like you are making progress every day and I am super happy for you. "

The food comes in those green dishes and I have never seen so much food on one plate - after a surgery eating not something I wanted to do.
I went for a walk tonight and got winded and got scared :(.
... Read more
The food comes in those green dishes and I have never seen so much food on one plate - after a surgery eating not something I wanted to do.
I went for a walk tonight and got winded and got scared :(.
I thank you so much.
Kimberly - pretty soon for you and I cannot wait until you are thru with this as well!!
Upcoming Surgeries
Mark Giordano
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
September 16, 2025
Lynne Jeffreys
Aortic Stenosis
September 17, 2025
Jeffery Cheney
Aortic Regurgitation
September 17, 2025
The Patient's Guide
This book has helped over 47,000 patients and caregivers from diagnosis to recovery.
Surgeon Spotlight
Dr. Doug Johnston is a world-renowned heart valve surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques.