Patient Stories
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Maisie Weir’s Heart Valve Disease Story
During the first national lockdown in 2020, Maisie Weir noticed herself getting breathless while walking in the Yorkshire hills with her friend. After being urged to see her doctor by her friend and her husband, Iain, Maisie was diagnosed with severe aortic valve stenosis and told she required urgent intervention. In January 2021, and despite the pressures COVID placed on the health service, Maisie received her life-saving treatment. This is her story: "My story started in February of last year when my entire family were really unwell. I had this constant, dry cough after, and it never really went away. [...]
Jonathan Toms: My COVID-19 Valve Disease Story
In 2020, during the first national lockdown, Jonathan Toms, 44, began to feel out of breath while out walking with his friend. Just a few months later, Jonathan was struggling to tie his shoe laces and, after a trip to A&E, was diagnosed with aortic stenosis. Thanks to the Mr Bahrami, the team at Royal Brompton and his wife, Julie, and two sons, Charlie and Alfie, Jonathan received his life saving valve disease treatment and is now on the road to recovery. This is his story: "My story started last year during the first lockdown when I noticed I was [...]
Derrick Johns’ Aortic Stenosis Story
In 2019, 57-year-old Derrick Johns found out he had a heart murmur. After further tests, he was diagnosed with aortic stenosis with a bicuspid aortic valve. A keen cyclist, Derrick had experienced no symptoms. However, his valve disease began to deteriorate, and he required urgent intervention. Despite the pressure COVID-19 has placed on the health service and delays to his surgery, Derrick received has now recieved life-saving treatment and is now looking forward to the rest of his life. "It was a week before Christmas 2019 that my story really began. During a routine screening with an occupational doctor, I [...]
Angie Martin: my second open-heart surgery story
Angie's valve disease story started when she was a small girl after she was born with a hole in her heart. Fast forward 40 years and Angie's leaky valve began to deteriorate. After being told she needed an operation, a pandemic stopped the world in its tracks. However, despite the pressures on the health service, thanks to the brilliant work of the team at Harefield, Angie was able to receive her life-saving treatment. This is her story: “My valve disease story started when I was a child, as I actually found out it was leaking when I had open-heart surgery [...]
Steve McCabe MP: My mitral repair story
Birmingham MP, Steve McCabe was diagnosed with heart valve disease twelve years ago. As with many heart valve disease patients he had not experienced any obvious symptoms. His GP detected a heart murmur during a routine check-up. It came as a bit of a shock as he was fit and healthy. He later underwent treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. “If not treated it can be very serious. It is vital that people are better educated on the condition and are aware of the symptoms, particularly those that aren’t so obvious like feeling tired to ensure more lives are saved. As someone who [...]
Jeanine Jones: My Endocarditis Story
In December 2018, 33 year old Support Worker at Autism Together, Jeanine Jones was celebrating the birth of her first daughter, Phoebe. Flash forward four months and she was being raced across Liverpool to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital with her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and brain starting to fail. There, she received her life saving double valve replacement. This is her extraordinary story. “I suppose the story starts in December when Phoebe was born. I had a difficult birth, she was born back to front, and in the days after I started to get really bad back pain. At [...]
Gary Russel: My preparation for Open-Heart surgery
Gary Russel is a 52-year-old Civil Servant from London. After being diagnosed with heart valve disease in his twenties at a medical to join the Police Force, his valve disease story went on for two decades before he was treated in 2013. Here is his story: "My story started in 1994 when I was at an assessment centre to join the police force. I'd passed everything, and then at the end, there was a medical. The force doctor gave me a check-over and said I had an irregular heartbeat. He thought maybe it was tension on the day, but referred [...]
Peter Cobley: My COVID19 Story
While the outbreak of COVID-19 has placed unprecedented pressure on the NHS, Public Health England's admissions data points towards a concerning trend of people avoiding hospitals out of fear of contracting COVID-19. While concerns around COVID-19 are understandable, by not receiving urgent treatments, patients may be putting their lives at risk. Peter Cobley was treated by the team at Kings College Hospital, London during the outbreak. After receiving an echocardiogram, Peter was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and told that he needed urgent intervention. Before being diagnosed, Peter had experienced symptoms of breathlessness and dizziness, but after attributing them to signs [...]
Lewis Benn: My COVID19 Story
At the very height of the COVID-19 outbreak, retired postman and hospital worker, Lewis Benn, was awaiting treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Having been told he would have to wait till September, Lewis feared for his life, but thanks to the excellent work of Dr Dan Blackman and the team at Leeds General Infirmary, Lewis was admitted, treated and discharged over the course of just three days. Here, is his story: “I started feeling very short of breath and I was having trouble walking up the stairs. I wasn’t feeling good at all, I couldn’t breath properly and could hardly [...]
Jessie Moss: My COVID19 Story
83-year-old retired office worker, Jessie Moss, was treated for severe aortic stenosis at the very height of the COVID-19 outbreak. Thanks to Professor Newby and the team in Edinburgh, and with the help of minimally invasive treatment, Jessie was able to receive the treatment she urgently required, and can now focus on her recovery and getting back out on the bowls green. Here, is her story: “I was flight really tight in the chest last year when I was playing bowls, and then gradually I started to get short of breath and found myself having to sit and watch instead [...]
