Heart Warrior: Therese’s 50-Year Journey With Heart Valve Disease
Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Published: June 12, 2025
If there is one thing that our patient community has learned over the years, it is that patients and their medical teams must consider the lifetime management of heart valve disease. While there are many great medical advances and treatment options for patients, the reality is that there are no guarantees that a heart valve repair or replacement will last forever.
As a result, patients may need a second, third, fourth or even fifth heart valve surgery. For example, I just heard from Therese Tilton, a heart valve patient who has been dealing with heart valve issues for over 50 years. This is her story…
About Therese…
Here is what Therese wrote to me:
Hi Adam, I am 67 years old. I was born with aortic stenosis and I have had three open-heart surgeries on my valve. So you know, I have never smoked and I walk almost every day. As for my diet, I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life. Thankfully, I had two pregnancies and delivered two healthy babies. As for my career, I was a nurse for 32 years.
My Heart Valve Journey Begins in 1975
I had my first open-heart surgery in Brooklyn, New York. The year was 1975. My doctors tried to open my aortic valve leaflets. At that time, they were not putting metal valves in the heart. So, it was an experiment. The doctors didn’t know if I would live. My valve functioned for two years and then I needed another operation.
In 1978, I had my second open-heart surgery in San Diego, California. My medical team implanted a pig (porcine) valve which lasted for three years. So you know, I was sick most of the time because the pig valve was failing. I tried to keep it as long as I could. My doctors would ultimately learn that the mesh netting around the outside of the valve had grown little tumors on it. So, I needed another valve replacement.
In 1981, I was near death with liver failure. I got a new mechanical heart valve replacement and a pacemaker in Chicago, Illinois. I started having a lot of problems about three months later. To my surprise, I would learn that the pacemaker leads were improperly insulated. So, back to surgery I went. The new pacemaker lasted 20 years. My heart started to heal and I finished raising my children.
That said, my mechanical heart valve replacement is now 44 years old. I am now a great grandmother and doing well. However, I will need an aneurysm repair in the future. It it has been stable for five years. My cardiac journey is not over.
Therese’s Advice for Patients?
The advice I have for other open-heart patients is to never smoke, eat a clean diet (meaning less meat, more veggies and fiber). It really does work!
Also… Find something you love to do and focus on that hobby, not the problems of your heart. Even in my darkest times, when I felt like my heart would fail, I found myself going out to find the nearest fishing spot or listening to the birds. I love to be outdoors.
When I found out that I had a large aneurysm behind my old mechanical valve, I was frightened and unsure of how long I would remain here on Earth. One of my doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told me to be happy and continue to live as I had before the aneurysm was detected. It doesn’t help to sit around and worry. When the day comes that I need my next surgery, I plan on facing this “head-on”. Until then, if you’re trying to find me, I’m probably out fishing!
I love being a member of HeartValveSurgery.com community. There is so much great educational research and patient stories. I hope to give hope to all people with heart valve disease — to calm their fears about early death when undergoing heart surgery. There are so many scared people out there.
Related Links:
- U2’s Bono Shares Deep Insights About Heart Valve Surgery
- Ed Salutes Dr. Gillinov After Crossing Antarctic Circle
- TAVR Powers Richard to Mount Whitney Peak
Thank you for creating your the website!
Therese
Written by Adam Pick
- Patient & Website Founder
