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My 20th Heart Valve Surgery Anniversary!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: December 21, 2025

On December 21, 2005, my life transformed in a peculiar way. At the age of 33, I underwent heart valve surgery. Like so many patients, I was scared, uncertain, and searching for clear, trustworthy information leading up to my operation. Little did I know, this confusing experience would become an unexpected turning point in my life.

Along the post-op journey, HeartValveSurgery.com was born. What started as a personal mission to understand my condition grew into a global community where patients and caregivers could connect, learn, and feel less alone. Over the past 20 years, I have been humbled by the stories shared, the questions asked, and the courage shown by patients around the world. Watching this community grow has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

On this 20-year anniversary, my heart is filled with gratitude. I am deeply thankful for my surgeon, Dr. Vaughn Starnes, and the medical professionals at Keck Medicine of USC who gave me a "second chance" at life. (If you are curious, Dr. Starnes performed a Ross Procedure on me. So far, I have not needed a re-operation or re-intervention and I do not take any medication. As you can see here, my health and quality-of-life after the Ross Procedure is better than it has ever been.)

I am also incredibly thankful for my family and friends who supported me, for the physicians and medical teams I am lucky to work, for the extraordinary sponsors of HeartValveSurgery.com who power this educational platform, and for every patient who trusts this website as a resource during their therapeutic journeys.

Traver Gets Life-Saving Surgery Thanks to HeartValveSurgery.com

Most of all, I am grateful for the opportunity to give back, to educate, and to remind others that hope, strength, and a full life after heart valve surgery is absolutely possible. For this reason, our community is now sponsoring the life-saving cardiac surgeries of children in El Salvador, Nigeria, the Philippines and Uganda through our charitable giving initiative.

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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