Bob's Profile

I was born in 1956 in Allentown, PA. My childhood was complicated by pain in my legs and fatigue. Our family doctor in those days attributed my issues to “growing pains”. When I was 15 yrs old I needed an emergency appendectomy and while being prepped for surgery I was asked about my heart murmur and High Blood Pressure. It was the first time anyone had mentioned any of the two to me or my parents. During the surgery it was discovered that pulses in my feet were absent and Blood Pressure above the waist was dangerously high. A subsequent Cardiac Cath indicated I had a congenital Coarctation of the Aorta. A few days later (1973) I was scheduled for surgery at our community hospital to repair the pinched Aorta with access through a left thoracotomy. Fast forward 16 years, married, working and a father of a 5 year old son, I began to experience cold spots on my legs and claudication when walking. Again diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta I was sent to the Hershey Medical Center for testing. Not comfortable with the Cardiac Surgeon at Hershey I researched other major cardiac surgery centers and chose the Cleveland Clinic where I underwent my second Coarctation repair performed by the Chief of Thoracic surgery and later the President of the Cleveland Clinic, Dr Delos “Toby” Cosgrove. At the same and for the first time I was diagnosed with Bi-Cuspid Aortic Valve. Now 66 years old, retired and a grandfather to Stella 8 and Sadie 7 months, I find myself with chest pain, difficulty breathing when walking and needing an Aortic Valve Replacement and By-Pass of one coronary artery. I will undergo the double procedure on December 22, 2022 again at the Cleveland Clinic, performed by Dr. Patrick Vargo. I am confident in the team at the Clinic but understandably nervous and somewhat scared at what my future holds.