Joann Just Made My Day... My Year!
I really appreciate hearing from the patients and caregivers in our community. Your emails and your phone calls are beyond heart warming (pun intended). That said, I just received an update from Joann Heindorf, a 78-year old patient from Florida, that was simply... extraordinary.
Joann Heindorf - Heart Valve Surgery Patient
Joann's update came in the form of an envelope that was mailed to my home.
Within that envelope, I found two things.
First, I found a wonderful picture of Joann smiling (shown above). Second, to my surprise, I found an 11-page handwritten note from Joann that described her journey through a series of health-related events including two cardiac procedures. While Joann, who is the mother of 3 boys and 2 girls, was initially diagnosed with a heart murmur and mitral valve prolapse, her first procedure actually included a mitral valve replacement, an aortic valve replacement, a tricuspid valve repair and a double coronary artery bypass graft. Then, after all that, Joann needed a mitral valve re-operation.
Video available online at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIR70w_ABa4
As you can tell, Joann has been through a lot. I am touched, moved and inspired by her story, which was so wonderfully described in this letter. I can not thank Joann enough for taking the time to share her experience with me -- which closed with the following words:
"Adam, thank you so much for your book. I hope you realize how your honesty helps so many heart surgery patients before-and-after their surgery. I wish I could give you a hug but since that is not possible, I will continue to pray for you and your family." -- Joann
Keep on tickin' Joann!
Adam
Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder
Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder
Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.
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Blog Categories
- Adam's Updates
- Aneurysms
- Aortic Stenosis
- Aortic Valve Repair
- Aortic Valve Replacement
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Before Surgery
- Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Medical Technology
- Mitral Regurgitation
- Mitral Valve Repair
- Patient Stories
- Pulmonary Valve
- Recovery
- Ross Procedure
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Blog Categories
- Adam's Updates
- Aneurysms
- Aortic Stenosis
- Aortic Valve Repair
- Aortic Valve Replacement
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Before Surgery
- Bicuspid Aortic Valve
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Medical Technology
- Mitral Regurgitation
- Mitral Valve Repair
- Patient Stories
- Pulmonary Valve
- Recovery
- Ross Procedure
- Surgeons & Hospitals
- Tricuspid Valve
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Dr. Badhwar is a world-renowned heart valve surgeon that has performed thousands of heart valve operations that include minimally-invasive techniques including robot-assisted techniques.