Lewis Benn
Tuesday 28th September 2021
In 2020, retired postman, Lewis Benn was treated for severe aortic stenosis at the beginning of the Covid outbreak. After facing delays to treatment, and with his health deteriorating, Lewis received a non-invasive procedure, and has now made a full recovery and is enjoying a great quality of life after treatment.
Since being treated, Lewis has helped Heart Valve Voice raise awareness of heart valve disease by sharing his story, appearing in local media, and has spoken to MP’s about the importance of timely treatment and positive ageing.
This year, we invited Lewis to speak at our Listen To Your Heart Live event, where he spoke about the importance of symptom awareness, listening to your heart, and the power of positive ageing.
You can view that session here
We asked Lewis to tell us why it was important for him to be involved with Heart Valve Voice and International Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, and this is what he said.
“Having heart valve disease really affected my life in a big way. I was breathless and couldn’t walk very far and especially up steps. I was very tired all the time, with no energy. However, since having my treatment, I’ve had a new lease of life.
I was more than happy to use my experience to help raise awareness about the condition, so when the Heart Valve Voice team asked me to get involved, I didn’t hesitate. I feel it is really important to get the message out to as many people as possible to save lives.
Simply put, If I hadn’t come across this procedure through my consultant, I wouldn’t be here today.
Now to see my video viewed 7000 times, well that’s incredible! I am glad the video reached so many people. Even if one person watches the video and goes ahead to get checked out, it will potentially save a life.
To anyone thinking of getting involved with Heart Valve Voice, I would strongly recommend it. Telling your story helps others to relate to the symptoms of valve disease. Don’t hesitate to get involved, it needs to be shared so as many people as possible can be helped.”
If you've been affected by heart valve disease and would like to find out more about how you can use your experience to help others, email info@heartvalvevoice.com and talk to a member of the Heart Valve Voice team.