I was born with a heart defect called Pulmonary Stenosis where my pulmonary valve was mostly closed. When I was 1 ½ I had open heart surgery to repair the valve. Back then open heart surgery was relatively new and I was lucky to grow up as a normal kid. My yearly visits to my cardiologist in San Francisco were just fun days off from school. However, my repaired valve degraded every year and I had to have surgery again during college to replace it with a healthy donor valve. In the next few years I will again need surgery to replace my aging donor valve with whatever the best option is at the time.
The American Heart Association has been with me my whole life sponsoring research in congenital heart defects, cardiovascular surgery, and cardiovascular health. The option I choose for my next surgery will no doubt be informed by research sponsored by the AHA.
I’m walking for myself and all of the other heart diseases survivors and their friends and family. Please join me in walking and donating to the 2025 Heart Walk.
