Matthew's Photos

Luke Taylor  So glad to hear you're doing well a year out. Thank you sharing with a positive attitude!  Somewhere we should start a BAV under 40 group

Valerie Allen  So nice to hear another success story and your expression gratitude. Wishing you and your beautiful family the very best.

J Alexander Lassally  I do relate! I am trying to embrace that "truly new moment" feeling. Shedding things I do not like in my old life - or trying too, at least !  Especially career wise, things that appealed to me before simply do not now!  
Definitely an imperfect science... The medical community is totally unprepared to talk about these things in younger patients. 

Richard Munson  Glad to hear your life has turned right-side up. Except your dog who is upside down. Nice success story

Susan Lynn  Happy Anniversary, Matthew! You are so right about the rebirth. Wishing you many, many decades of good health and future celebrations!

Grace Mason   Congratulations Matthew. You walk the road well. I like to see your updates as I follow closely in your footsteps. Love seeing you with your many blessings in your picture. Loving the upside down pooch😄

Rose Madura  What a great picture and an even better post. I know it hasn't been easy for you (or any of us for that matter).  We do understand and the feelings are mutual.  Happy Anniversary!❤️‍🩹💪🪖

Rose Madura  Wonderful news Matthew.  You are doing great. Maybe recovery is a little slow so you can enjoy these precious little ones. They are adorable!  

Andrew Dial  Yess! So glad to hear from you bro! You look super happy. Congrats on the continued progress 🙏🏼

Pamela Gregory  Congratulations !!! You are doing great! Everyone heals at different rates as it depends on your condition going in and what they did to you. Your kids are precious

Sue Lee  Yay Matthew! Sounded like you had a blip w the effusion a few weeks back but it’s resolved, thank goodness 

Susan Lynn  Matthew - I'm so sorry to read this news, but you're in the right place. Hoping this detour on your road to recovery is a short one. Please keep us posted.

Klara Čičić  Dear Matthew, stay brave and optimistic as you are! I am thinking of you and hoping everything will be fine, from another side of the globe

Sue Lee  Matthew, I’ve been following you and really sad to hear this strange turn. Hopefully just a blip and a sign to slow down a bit. Keep us up 

Ana Brusso  Hello Mathew, will pray this detour in your recovery doesn’t last long and you continue a healthy recovery. God bless you

Pamela Gregory  Hang in there Mathew! Hopefully they will figure this out quickly and get you back on the road to recovery

Matthew Malooly  Thanks for the well-wishes.  Still waiting on cardiology's review of echo, but I am probably in the clear.  After never having a fever in 15 years and no sick contacts, I had a high fever >103 for 3 days with no other symptoms.  Labs showed high systemic inflammation and stress on nearly every organ system: liver, kidneys, lungs, heart... even with an elevated d-dimer needing evaluation for pulmonary embolism.  I ended up getting admitted for empiric antibiotics until endocarditis could be ruled out.  In the meantime, my youngest (18 months) spiked a fever of 104 with no other symptoms... which honestly put us all at ease.  Every other test, including my gross evaluation of the echo report, says I'm in the clear for now, and I've only had high-normal temperatures since.  I think this was all just a pretty wild viral syndrome from who knows what.... thankfully I'm young and otherwise healthy.  This one hit hard.  Still pretty sore and still get tired really easily (I feel like I did two months of recovery ago)... but I still have a little fluid on my lungs and heart.  Otherwise doing well.  Overall, I was so grateful I had just gone through heart surgery in January... first because I was prepared for dealing with stressful and overwhelming situations like this and felt like I remained calm and optimistic the whole time... and second because we already hit our out-of-pocket max, so this was all free! :-)  

Rose Madura  So happy all is working out! And I can relate on meeting the out of pocket max! A double blessing.

Allen Carkner  Great to hear! I get the out of pocket max stuff. I went to a dermatologist for the first time as I've had a bit of time off and I've hit my out of pocket max.

Andrew Dial  I know the feeling… my mindset was completely different once it was time to attempt to go back to work. I went back at 12 weeks, and it was rocky for 3.5 months (very physical job) and my wife and I decided it was not worth it anymore. I have since started my own business and work from home, I drop off/pickup my daughter from school, have dinner ready for my wife when she gets home. It has its ups and downs, but overall, Best decision I’ve ever made. Priorities change. Life changes. What’s important once may not be important now, and what may not have been so important, is very important now. Hope this helps! 

Matthew Malooly  Interesting Andy.  My job is not physical at all - just mental.  I'm a pharmacist in a hospital so there's no ability to pace myself - everything happens when it happens and my job is to keep up.  That said... do you have any need for a pharmacist on your staff?  :-)

Richard Munson  I once thought retirement from sales was the greatest thing to look forward to since sliced cheese. Lots of stress. How wrong i was after a month. That was 15 years ago and lucky me being self employed i was able to jump right back into the fray. Now at 81 and mitral valve repaired, i am happy for the decision i made. Keeping in mind, we are all different, i still look forward to the battle every day. And today i had a doozy but i brought the  various parties together, worked out a compromise and now i am sitting back fat dumb and happy ( and kept a customer). Many of my retired friends ask me why i still work. My answer is i enjoy it. This is not meant to change anyones minds, just my perspective. 

Daniel Green  Hey Matt, I just posted my 12 week update. I’m glad you’re progressing and heading back to work. I’m mostly retired but still keep busy and after 47 years I’m happy to be busy enough to keep me engaged and still enjoying what I do! By the way I had my first bike rides this week. All easy rides but nonetheless a ride! Good luck with your continued progress!! 

Matthew Malooly  Good to hear from you Dan! Glad you're doing well!  I started back up on my bike again in the last few weeks.  It's honestly hard to remind myself to take it easy.  So much habit there to push push push!

Rose Madura  I applaud you guys for thinking this way. OHS does change you.  Andrew has shown how much it changed him.  I was fortunate to be able to retire (willingly and from a sales manager job) when I needed my surgery.  I'm not sure I could have gone back. But Richard and I agree yet again that we are all different.  Yet, here we are together with similar physical health situations.  Here is a quote I found .. 

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

Maybe it will help someone.

Ana Brusso  Hi Mathew, I was retired when I had my surgery so I can’t comment on anything related to work. I would tell you that OHS makes you change and for the best. Hang in there you’ve been through a lot. Take it one day at a time and pray. God bless you 

Angela Meletiadis  A lot also depends on the type of job you have. I teach PE in public primary school and I went back March 1. My MVR was in summer, 2022, so I actually had six months off, with pay. In a way, it's good to be back, but at (almost) 63, I would like to expend my energy doing something less strenuous. I hope to retire at 67, but not sure what I'll be doing until then!

Klara Čičić  Good hearing your thoughts, guys. I can relate to "changed perspective" after surgery. I started working very excited and finally feeling like myself again. But I struggle with keeping the stress level low, since I am quite energetic person and passionate about my job as a PCP. I mean, the only thing I could do is change myself or change job. For now, I am focused on changing myself haha, minimizing all unnecessary stress, getting helpat home, I started doing yoga so that may help... Matt, 3 months is still early, I am sure with each day you will feel better phisically as well as mentally:)

Matthew Malooly  It's crazy to me I was under the knife only 9 days ago.  I feel so blessed and lucky to be feeling this well.

Daniel Green  Go gettem Matt!! We are leaving here on Sunday!! It’s just amazing how every day is better than the day before!! Safe travels my heart -valve friend!! 

Leona Resch  Wow!!!! That is awesome news Matthew and Daniel!!! Absolutely amazing !!! Safe travels home and give a shout out if either of you are ever in this area again! We could have a mini heart warriors reunion with anybody who may be around - by that time we’ll be able to go out to dinner and celebrate all healed!!! ❤️

Pamela Gregory  I love it!!! Congratulations to Mathew and Daniel!!! Its so awesome you are both doing so well and heading home

Pat Munn  Congratulations Matthew and Daniel.  Safe travels, and thank you for sharing your journies.  Such inspiration for me.  Hoping each day gets better and better for both of you !

Patsy Stewart  How awesome is that?! You both look wonderful! Your little ones are going to be so excited to see you! Safe travels, and enjoy your chair when you get home.~❤️

Mark Buttell  What a champ! So much waiting for you out them doors. Good to hear your out tomorrow. Welcome to becoming the newest heart Warrior!

Leona Resch  Matthew !! You are looking awesome’! It’s amazing the difference a few days make in the way you feel!! Wishing you a continued speedy recovery!  Will you be staying in nyc for awhile before traveling g home? 

Matthew Malooly  Thanks all!  Yeah we'll have a follow up Friday to clear us for travel. I don't expect to really be able to enjoy the city, but we got the Airbnb set up to be comfy. It'll be easier to recover and stay active once we get home!

Amy Berger  Totally appreciate seeing how great you look and so happy you are being discharged tomorrow - keep us posted :)

Robert Miller  You look great! Getting all those tubes out makes a huge difference. Take it easy for the next month or so even if you feel like you can do anything. I made the mistake of taking all the Christmas lights down and putting all the Christmas stuff inside the house away. This was a little bit less than 3 weeks after surgery. I was working the whole day (it actually takes two days total) and lifted more than 5lb multiple times. The next morning I had funny noises coming from my chest (sounded like fluid on my lungs). Luckily 3 days afterward things were good again, the x-ray didn't show anything on my lungs and no broken wires (the ones that hold your ribs together). My surgeon thinks it was fluid that did build up (outside the lungs) and was eventually removed by the body. But as I said, my point is, take it easy and follow what your doctor tells you. 

Patsy Stewart  Look at you!! Did you click your heels just right and get out of there today? There’s no place like home! You did it, Matthew! Welcome to recovery!~❤️

Daniel Green  Matt, I hope you are home and resting up! We have our doctor appointments tomorrow and if everything goes well we are heading back to Flirida over the weekend. I was happy to meet you at Mount Sinai and glad your surgery went well! Best regards, Dan 

Alex Sagan  That is fantastic. Congratulations! I look about the same at this exact moment, but I’ve still got one tube in. 

Arthur Schoeller  You look GREAT Matthew, and just the right attitude. Day at a time. Plus I am so encouraged you are making such great progress. I go in Tuesday, so I really hope I can match your attitude and progress. Go!