Dylan's Profile

Diagnosis: Mitral Regurgitation

Member Since: February 17, 2021

Send Dylan a Note

About Me

Update on 4/19/23: Today I celebrated the second anniversary of my robotics mitral valve repair by running the legendary Boston Marathon (26.2 miles)! This was my first marathon since my surgery. I feel fantastic!! I'm 59 years old and running 5 miles almost everyday (was a marathon runner before the surgery). With Boston I completed the Six Star World Marathon Majors. The other five are New York, Tokyo, Chicago, Berlin and London, which I had run from 2016 to 2019. Planning to continue running marathons for the rest of my life!! Update on 4/19/22: Today marks the first anniversary of my robotics mitral valve repair. My surgery went well, but I had several complications during the recovery months which sent me back to the ER a couple of times (afib episodes, anaphylaxis caused by a medicine, pleurisy, etc). Today I can say I'm 100% recovered. I'm 58 years old and running 5 miles almost everyday (I was a marathon runner before the surgery). I'm planning to run my next marathon (26.2 miles) in the next few months. This last year has been for me a transformative experience spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. I'm definitely not the same person. I have learned a lot about myself, other people, life priorities and, of course, the human body. Original Post: I was diagnosed with mild Mitral Valve prolapse and regurgitation when I was 26 years old. I'm now 57. I never had any symptoms. When I was 44, I was told that the regurgitation was escalating, so I started monitoring it more closely, with annual echos, EKGs, etc. My regurgitation became severe a few years ago, but still no symptoms. As a matter of fact, I've been running marathons since 2009. In January 2021 I started feeling arrhythmias and palpitations. I had other tests performed, consulted with a couple of cardiologists (besides mine). They all concluded that I shouldn't wait too much to have my MV repaired, which happened on April 2021.
  • story1
    I am from: Los Angeles, Caifornia, United States
  • story2
    My surgery date was: April 19, 2021
  • story3
    I was diagnosed with: Mitral Regurgitation
  • story4
    My surgery was: Mitral Valve Repair
  • story5
    My surgeon is: Dr. Alfredo Trento
  • story6
    My hospital is: Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai

Upcoming Surgeries

Jane Schappell
Aortic Stenosis
May 13, 2026
Margaret Devenney
Aortic Stenosis
May 14, 2026
Chris Freyer
Mitral Regurgitation
May 15, 2026

Surgeon Finder

Surgeon Finder

Find and research over 1,500 patient-recommended heart valve surgeons.

Adam's Video Library

Adam's Video Library

Learn about heart valve surgery and patient success stories at Adam's video library.