About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with Bicuspid Aortic Valve-Stenosis on March 8th, 1989. My mothers doctors thought she had a pregnancy murmur but quickly found out it was me after birth. They were contemplating replacing my aortic valve with a pig valve but decided against it. They opted to wait on surgery for better technology, between the ages of 13-15. I was limited on the activity I could do as a child. I had a passion for soccer, but that came to an end, half way into my first season as a 4 year old. I was devastated but the team made me Captain to make up for it (it just wasn't the same lol) Instead, I picked up gymnastics until I was in 7th grade which I then switched to Cheer-leading. Just before finishing up 8th grade, I had a check up for my heart that included an EKG, ECHO, and stress test. The results of those tests came back that surgery was our next step.They decided to do a Cardiac Catheterization first, to see if placing a balloon in place of my valve would help the problem but I had too much blood in my chamber. The doctors needed to remove it. So the summer of 2003,I was 14 years old and it was right before my freshmen year of high school, I had the ROSS procedure at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona. Recovery went fairly smoothly! I was in the ICU for three days and recovery floor for one day. Recovery since, has been smooth sailing. No issues, no complications, and I've had 13 years of good visits. In the summer of 2015, I had my first son and while we thought pregnancy would affect my heart, it went untouched and we never ever noticed a difference. I had 4 echos during my pregnancy and no issues whatsoever. My son was born completely healthy with no heart issues either. My cardiologist says he doesn't foresee any surgeries within the next 5 years. I am hoping to get to 20 years before my next surgery is needed.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Waddell
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My surgery date is:
June 26, 2003
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I was diagnosed with:
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
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My surgery was:
Ross Procedure
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Dr. Lupinetti
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My hospital is:
Phoenix Children's Hospital
