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At the Marathon Finish Line, Phil Held This Up!

By Adam Pick on December 9, 2016

A BIG question patients ask me prior to heart valve surgery is, "Will I be able to do the things I love after surgery?"

Well... Let's consider the story of Phil McBride. At 62, Phil was an avid runner and an active member of Eastside Running Club. His love of competition kept him running at higher and higher levels. In November 2015, about 1 mile into a race leading up to the USA Track and Field National Cross Country Championships, Phil began having a hard time catching his breath. He was able to finish the race but in his words he "had an awful run".

Phil McBride, heart surgery patient running

Long story short... After a stress echo, Phil was diagnosed with severe aortic regurgitation, a leaky heart valve. Shortly thereafter, Phil had a successful aortic valve replacement surgery performed by Dr. Glenn Barnhart at Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute.

Phil in intensive care unit of hospital after heart valve surgery.

What happened next? In 9 months following heart surgery, Phil ran a half marathon in only 1:55, and placed 2^nd in his division! Since then, he's been training for the Seattle Marathon.

On November 27^th, 2016, Phil ran the full marathon with his son Sean, wife Lauren, and son-in-law Charlie. Phil finished with an amazing 4:10 and placed 6^th in his division! He had tremendous support throughout the race from his daughter Erica and Swedish OR nurse Larissa and her husband Don.

Phil, heart surgery patient, holding "Thank You" sign after running race.

So... What did Phil do at the finish line of the marathon? He thanked his surgeon, Dr. Glenn Barnhart (Dr. B), his OR Nurse, Larissa, and the medical team at Swedish. How great is that?

Dr. Glen Barnhart, retired heart surgeon

Dr. Glenn Barnhart - Phil's Heart Surgeon

Thanks so much to Phil for inspiring our community! And, many thanks to Dr. Barnhart, Larissa and the entire Swedish team for taking such great care of Phil!

Keep on tickin' Phil!
Adam

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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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