Henry's Profile

I was diagnosed with a heart murmur nearly 20 or more years ago. It became a leaky valve and went from mild to severe regurgitation Likewise an aortic aneurysm was discovered In Feb of 2022 an Echo Cardiogram revealed that it was time for surgery. After exploring all my options, I was a candidate for the Ross Procedure to take care of my valve issue and after research discovered the best surgeon for this was Dr Paul Stelzer at Mt Sinai in NYC. I live in Bristol RI. Met with him and we hit it off. We set up what would be the preferred options once they opened me up on July 20 2022. Ross Procedure was the first option, repair of the valve was second, replacement with an animal valve was third. I did not want a mechanical valve. I am 66 years old. In the end once the surgery began at Mt Sinai it was discovered that my my pulmonary valve was leaking so I couldn’t have the Ross. And then it was discovered that my own valve had fenestrations, so a repair was not an option. A bio bental bovine valve was put in and the aortic aneurysm removed. 6 1/2 hour surgery, 7 days at Mt Sinai and now it is 8 months since my surgery . I’m am fully back to cross fit, running, weight training , and a normal healthy life. I am a Catholic Priest and have more energy in my ministry than I have ever had. Am thankful to God, Dr Paul Stelzer and his surgical team, and the awesome care I got at Mount Sinai in NYC. I did a VLOG on YouTube while I was there: “The Journey to heal a Broken Heart”. Check it out. Here is the link. https://youtube.com/@journeytohealabrokenhearta4397