About Me (In My Own Words)
I have a Bicuspid Aortic Valve with Severe Aortic Stenosis. I also have a dilation of the ascending aorta.
I am a very active person that was running marathons, 50K trail runs, and enjoying the sport of obstacle racing with Spartan races. I also enjoying hiking, camping and mountain biking. I live in the foothills an hour or so from Lake Tahoe.
I will, after surgery, be that person again. It has been a very long 3 years of fighting this disease. I am excited, nervous, scared, apprehensive for the surgery, but most importantly, I am happy to be getting my old self back.
Update:
To give some updates on my journey and recovery, on Nov 3rd, 2025, I had successful Aortic Valve and ascending aortic root replacement surgery using the Ross Procedure at Stanford Medical Center. My surgeon was Dr Woo. I am now 6 weeks into my recovery and I am doing amazing. All my symptoms are 100% gone and I can finally breathe, walk up hills and stairs, do normal activities without being dizzy, tired or severely out of breath. In short, Dr Woo and his team and Stanford Medical Center gave me my life back. I know, at this point, that I am far from full recovery and getting 100% of my life back but I can tell you the care I received from Stanford was nothing short of extraordinary. I am very blessed to have found an amazing surgeon that could perform the Ross Procedure. I spent 100s of hours researching surgical options and talking to two cardiologists. When my Cardiologist and I settled on the Ross Procedure, it was finding the right surgeon to perform the procedure (not many surgeons perform this complex cardiac surgery). The major issue with this procedure, is finding a nearby surgeon, covered by insurance, that has performed a good amount of this complex procedure. Fortunately for me, my insurance agreed to cover the procedure at Stanford with an amazing surgeon.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
El Dorado Hills
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My surgery date is:
November 3, 2025
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Aortic Aneurysm
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My surgery was:
Aortic Aneurysm Replacement
Ross Procedure
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Joseph Woo
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My hospital is:
Stanford Medical Center
