Adam's Heart Valve Surgery Blog – Page 13

Is This “Love Cat” with 3 Furry Hearts Trying to Tell Us Something?

By Adam Pick on October 22, 2020

I think you and I would agree that 2020 has been brutal.  First, a pandemic.  Then, economic fall-out.  Riots. Fires. A chaotic presidential election here in America.  It doesn’t seem to stop.

During these difficult times, I look for just about anything to conjure good feelings for my wife (who lost her job), my son (who spends 7 hours a days on Zoom), our family, friends, and the patients in our community (who are fighting a war against heart valve disease).

So… When I saw the picture below…

 

Cat with Three Hearts In Fur

 

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Take the Heart Valve Clinical Trial Survey for Patients!

By Adam Pick on October 13, 2020

[October 19, 2020 Update:  Thanks so much to the HeartValveSurgery.com patient community for responding to this survey.  We have received many more survey responses than expected and, as a result, are not accepting any more survey responses.  To participate in future patient surveys, sign up to our newsletter at this link.]

[November 5, 2020 Update:  Great news!  The survey results were just posted in a special report.  Click here to download the free report.]

Hi Patients!

Can I ask you a quick favor?

I’ve received lots of great questions about clinical trials for heart valve disease. To help patients, I want to learn how I can better educate patients about clinical trials. That said, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!  Click here to take the survey!

 

Nurse Holding Clipboard with Heart Valve Clinical Trial Survey

 

Keep on tickin!
Adam

Amazing! Jerome Flashes a Heart-Felt “Thumbs-Up” From the ICU!

By Adam Pick on October 7, 2020

How far will the wonderful patients in our community go to inspire one another?

Well… I’d say that Jerome Hill, a bicuspid aortic valve patient, can provide a visual answer to that question. Here’s Jerome, just a few hours after aortic valve replacement surgery, flashing you a “Thumbs-Up!” from the intensive care unit.

 

Heart Surgery Patient in Intensive Care UnitJerome Hill, Heart Valve Surgery Patient

 
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After Heart Surgery, Lee Feels Very Grateful!

By Adam Pick on October 2, 2020

When I see a patient picture like this come across my community newsfeed, I stop what I’m doing.

No joke.

Thanks to Lee’s wonderful photo – taken just before she was discharged from the hospital – the corner of my lips turned up and a fantastic smile stretched across my face. Today instantly fills with happiness.

 

Heart Surgery Patient Smiling with Red Pillow

 

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Robin Makes That HVS Mask Look Good!

By Adam Pick on October 1, 2020

As you may have seen here, I had HeartValveSurgery.com face masks made for my family to help protect us during the COVID-19 pandemic.  When ordering the masks, there was a significant price decrease if you purchased more masks. So, I bought 10 extra masks for the wonderful people in our community.  Last Friday, I gave away the masks to 10 patients.

In response to the HVS mask giveaway, I received a wonderful email from Robin Hayes, a heart valves surgery patient, earlier today.

 

Patient Wearing HeartValveSurgery.com Face MaskRobin Hayes – Heart Valve Surgery Patient

 
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10 Free HVS Masks Up For Grabs!

By Adam Pick on September 25, 2020

UPDATE: UNFORTUNATELY, ALL OF THE FREE MASKS ARE NOW GONE!!!! I AM SO SORRY IF YOU DID NOT GET ONE!!!!

WOW!!! THOSE WENT FAST!!!! WE MAY MAKE MORE!!! STAY TUNED!!!

Hey Everybody,

Not sure if  you are interested…

But, I recently saw a website that makes custom masks with logos on it. I thought it was neat idea. And, I thought it would be fun to make a few masks for Robyn, my wife, and Ethan, my son. During the ordering process, there was a pretty good price decrease if I bought more masks. So, I bought a few extra masks to see if anybody in our community wants one for free!

 

Free COVID Mask with HeartValveSurgery.com Logo
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My Interview On “Connecting Caregivers” Radio Show with Linda Burhans

By Adam Pick on September 8, 2020

In case you missed it… I was recently interviewed by Linda Burhans from the “Connecting Caregivers” radio show.

As you may know, Connecting Caregivers is wonderful effort that Linda started to help caregivers supporting friends and family members with health issues. During our discussion, we discussed several important topics related to heart valve disease including the Active Living Initiative, our survey results from 3,000 patients, the realities of valvular disorders and new treatment options.

 

 
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Medtronic & Abbott Join Forces to Support You!

By Adam Pick on August 26, 2020

On behalf of the HeartValveSurgery.com community, I would like to extend an extraordinary thanks to Medtronic and Abbott for their support of patients all over the world during COVID-19.

So you know… Medtronic and Abbott, two leading heart valve manufacturers, just did something special.  In this difficult and trying time, Medtronic and Abbott joined forces to co-sponsor our “Advances in COVID-19 & Heart Valve Therapy” webinar.  Over 630 patients registered for this educational event.

 

Medtronic & Abbott Support Team Up With HeartValveSurgery.com

 

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Patient Webinar: “Advances in COVID-19 & Heart Valve Therapy” with Dr. Chikwe, Dr. Burkle, John & Me

By Adam Pick on August 20, 2020

[Update: Great news! The “Advances in COVID-19 & Heart Valve Therapy” webinar held on August 27, 2020 was an extraordinary success with 287 patients connected in real-time. You can now download a free eBook or watch the video recording of the webinar at this link.]

I’m excited to share that our LIVE and FREE patient education events continue next Thursday, August 27, with a special “Advances in COVID-19 & Heart Valve Therapy” webinar. Featured speakers include Dr. Joanna Chikwe, Chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the Smidt Heart Institute of Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Jaime Burkle, Clinical Manager of the Piedmont Heart Perimeter Office, and John Roland, a heart valve patient treated during COVID-19.

 

COVID-19 & Heart Surgery Webinar Invitation

 

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Tapan “2.0” Rises After Heart Valve Surgery!

By Adam Pick on August 17, 2020

It never gets old.  The joy. The happiness. That special feeling when I open my email and see a patient success story from the HeartValveSurgery.com community.

This time… Tapan Mehta, from Northern California, brought a smile to my face.  As he approaches his fifth anniversary after heart valve surgery, here is what Tapan wrote to me:

 

Tapan Mehta - Heart Valve Patient with Daughter at Michigan Football Game

 

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Telehealth Reform: COVID-19 Unites 180 Distinguished Physicians to Send Congress This Letter

By Adam Pick on August 11, 2020

Sometimes… It’s hard to imagine that anything good can come from COVID-19.  The novel coronavirus has cast an undeniable darkness upon our planet with 20+ million infections and 737 thousand deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

In difficult and trying times, I often reflect upon one of my favorite quotes from Mahatma Gandhi.  The quote is, “In the midst of death, life persists.  In the midst of untruth, truth persists.  In the midst of darkness, light persists.”

 

Telehealth Reform Request Showing Doctors & Congress

 

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Unexpected! Hear Adam Talk About Our New Patient Survey & More on “Bill Martinez Live”

By Adam Pick on August 8, 2020

Unexpected! Many, many, many thanks to Bill Martinez for interviewing me about the findings from our new survey of 3,400 patients and caregivers.

We also talked about the new “Active Living” patient awareness campaign, aortic stenosis (AS), minimally-invasive therapies (like TAVR), and the misconceptions about AS and heart valve surgery. In case you missed it, here is a playback of my interview on the “Bill Martinez Live” show which is nationally-syndicated across 280 cities in the United States.

 

 

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I’ll Be On Talk Radio Today & Tomorrow (Updated)!

By Adam Pick on August 5, 2020

Unexpected!

I just learned that I will be on a few talk radio shows today and tomorrow discussing our new survey results that had over 3,400 patient and caregiver responses and the “Active Living” Patient Awareness Campaign that we launched today.  So great to see that people are interested to learn more about heart valve disease and treatment!

 

Adam Pick Preparing for Radio Interview

 

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Medtronic Joins HeartValveSurgery.com Community to Educate & Empower Patients!

By Adam Pick on July 15, 2020

On behalf of our patient community, I am excited to announce that Medtronic, one of the world’s largest medical device companies and a leading heart valve manufacturer, is officially joining the HeartValveSurgery.com community to help educate and empower patients!

 

Medtronic Is New HeartValveSurgery.com Sponsor
 

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Mother & Son Share Special Heart Surgery Bond Thanks to Dr. Marc Gillinov!

By Adam Pick on June 17, 2020

There is nothing better than an extraordinary patient success story.  For example, this story of Kathy Chelton, Carter Chelton (her son), and Dr. Marc Gillinov (their surgeon) made me smile from ear-to-ear.  Here is what Kathy, from Liberty, Missouri, wrote to me:

My 18-year old son, Carter, was released from Cleveland Clinic today!  Dr. Marc Gillinov performed his mitral valve repair surgery.  It went very well!

Dr. Gillinov also performed mitral and tricuspid valve repair surgery for me in 2017.  Not the mother/son bond I wanted, but here we are!  Dr. Gillinov is amazing, as is the well-oiled machine here in Cleveland.

 

Mother and Son Patients with Dr. Marc Gillinov at Cleveland ClinicKathy, Carter & Dr. Marc Gillinov

 
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Advances in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Therapy Webinar (Free eBook & Video)

By Adam Pick on June 14, 2020

Amazing!!!

Our webinar, “Advances in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Therapy”, set new records for patient attendance and participation.  We had 239 patients online together for this educational event with Dr. Chris Malaisrie and Dr. Jyothy Puthumana, the co-directors of the Bicuspid Aortic Valve Program at Northwestern Medicine.

 

 

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Patient Webinar: “Advances in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Therapy” with Dr. Malaisrie, Dr. Puthumana & Me

By Adam Pick on June 4, 2020

[Update: The Bicuspid Aortic Valve Webinar held on June 10, 2020 was an extraordinary success with 239 patients connected in real-time. You can now download a free eBook or watch the video recording of the webinar at this link.]

Great news!

I’m excited to announce that our LIVE and FREE patient education events continues next Wednesday, June 10, with a special “Advances in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Treatment” webinar.  Featured speakers include Dr. Chris Malaisrie, cardiac surgeon and co-director of the Bicuspid Aortic Valve Program at Northwestern Medicine, and Dr. Jyothy Puthumana, cardiologist and co-director of the Bicuspid Aortic Valve Program at Northwestern Medicine.

 

Bicuspid Aortic Valve Webinar Patient Invitation

 

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After Ross Procedure Success, Elizabeth Runs to Support Heart Disease Patients!

By Adam Pick on May 26, 2020

When courageous patients transform medical lemons into lemonade, I want you to know about it.

Eizabeth Boylan is a perfect example.  An athlete, wife and mother from Canada, Elizabeth was born with a bicuspid aortic valve.  Like many patients, Elizabeth knew she may need surgery in the future and was in “watchful waiting” for many years.  That, however, did not stop Elizabeth’s passion for running.

 

Ross Procedure Patient Recovery from Hospital Bed to Running

 

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A Safe “New Normal” for Cardiac Surgical Appointments during COVID-19

By Adam Pick on May 21, 2020

As Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, once said, “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.”

Unfortunately, COVID-19 is now our unexpected reality.  At times, that is hard to accept.  At times, it’s challenging not to think back to the way it was.  At times, I wonder if Lao Tzu lived through a pandemic.  Regardless, we must move forward. We must evolve.

 

Nurse with Stethoscope on Patient Heart During PandemicPatient Being Examined During COVID-19 (Northwestern Medicine)

 

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We’re #2 On The “Top Heart Blog & Websites” Rankings For 2020!

By Adam Pick on May 20, 2020

Thanks to the wonderful support of patients, their family members and friends, I am happy to report that HeartValveSurgery.com achieved the #2 ranking in FeedSpot’s 2020 Top Heart Blogs & Websites.  

This is such an extraordinary honor considering all the great cardiac websites out there!

 

Rankings Award Certificate for HeartValveSurgery.com

 

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