Today Is National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day!!!
By Adam Pick on February 22, 2020
Woo-Whoo!!! Today is National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day! Let’s join together to raise awareness to this under-diagnosed, under-treated and deadly form of heart disease!!!
To get started… Here are several amazing men and women in our community who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of healthy heart valves.
Dr. Ismail El-Hamamsy (above) is an aortic valve specialist who practices at Mount Sinai Hospital. Given the recent Ross Procedure discussions in our community, you should know that Dr. El-Hamamsy is a Ross Procedure specialist.
Below is Dr. Hanneka Takkenberg, a world-renowned researcher who specializes in clinical decision-making for cardiothoracic interventions at Erasmus University, and Dr. James Thomas, the co-director of the Center for Heart Valve Disease at Northwestern Medicine.
We know him!! That’s Dr. Marc Gillinov, the Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic. In addition to being the author of Heart 411, Dr. Gillinov was one of the first surgeons to support HeartValveSurgery.com and our mission to raise patient awareness for heart valve disease.
When it comes to the research and the development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Dr. Martin Leon is a very special man. Thanks to Dr. Leon’s work on heart valve clinical trials, many patients in our community are living… and living a better life.
That’s Dr. Vinod Thourani, the new Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Piedmont Health and the Marcus Heart Valve Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Why Celebrate National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day?
As you may know, heart valve disease is a fatal disorder that is under-diagnosed and under-treated. According to the latest research, 30% of Americans over the age of 65 do not know what heart valve disease is and up to 25,000 people die each year from valvular disorders including aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.
Here’s a video I filmed for the first National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day in 2017 that explains why this day is so important for our community of patients, family members, friends, doctors, nurses, research teams, medical companies, etc.
Ready to see a great, educational infographic that illustrates the urgency needed to drive awareness to this dangerous disease? See below!
Our Community Is Ready To Help You!
If there is one thing I know about heart valve disease… After speaking with thousands of patients over the years… It is the prevalent feeling of loneliness associated with this disease.
Given its lack of awareness, heart valve disease can isolate patients and the people who love them. For this reason, I am here to tell you… You are not alone. You are not alone. Oh yah, you are not alone!!!
So you know, the reason I started this website in 2006 was to educate, to empower and to connect people – like you – instantly. Twelve years later, HeartValveSurgery.com has had over 11 million website visits and our community has grown to 300,000+ people around the world.
That said, here are links to several resources across HeartValveSurgery.com that can help you right now:
- Meet Patients & Caregivers at Our Community
- Discover the Heart Valve Learning Center
- Watch Educational Videos About Heart Valve Disease
- Discover Our Patient Success Stories
- Visit My Blog with 1,300 Posts About Valve Disease
- Find Patient-Recommended Heart Valve Surgeons
- Research Leading Heart Valve Centers
If you don’t find what you’re looking for… My email address is adam@heartvalvesurgery.com. Feel free to email me any questions. I’m here to help you or your loved one.
Happy National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day!!!
Keep on tickin!
Adam
Written by Adam Pick
- Patient & Website Founder
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Dr. Alfredo Trento is a heart valve expert having performed over 4,000 heart valve repair and replacement operations during his career.
